ABC2 “HEAD FIRST EP 4: THE WRONG BODY”

[Carol]

Thanks for the heads up about Head First Angela. I’ll definitely be watching.

[Adrian]

Quote:

What happens when you’re born in the wrong body?
Biological sex doesn’t always match up with ‘brain sex’ and when that happens, you either spend your life in torment or you make the decision to transition and become the person you know you are inside.
Sabour sets out to get inside the Trans world but he finds it difficult to get people to talk to him on camera because it’s such a sensitive subject in Australia. So he heads off to the USA to meet a group of Trans teens, including teenage singing sensation and activist, Ryan Cassata.
Back in Australia, Sabour makes headway with a number of Trans people who invite him to follow them on their journeys as they move through different stages of transitioning.
Riley, 15, was born a boy, but is starting to go to school as a girl and pondering hormone treatment at age 16. Her parents are agonising over the decision because hormones will allow her feminine features to develop, but they are irreversible, meaning she’ll go sterile.
Jay, 32, once had a ‘well-groomed biker look’ but is now going through hormone treatment and is about to embark on facial feminisation surgery before she comes out at work as a woman. For her, the process is about finding the outer confidence she needs to match the inner confidence she feels as a woman.
Racy Rapidfire is a roller derby champion who was thrown out of a Tasmanian league for being Transgender but decided to fight back publicly. Two years later – after sex-reassignment surgery, mental breakdowns and suicide attempts – she’s left Tasmania, found new love, and is ready to try out for a new league in Brisbane.
In an effort to broaden his understanding of the Australian Trans community Sabour heads to a conference in Cairns and talks to Trans guys and girls, sings with Sista Girls, gets an exclusive interview with West Australian senator Louise Pratt and her Trans husband Aram, and is swept off his feet by the outrageously flirtatious, Rosie Jones – a 74 year old doctor from Adelaide who went through sex re-assignment surgery at age 68!
This is a journey like no other for Sabour, completely new, always complicated, and with unprecedented access into the lives of Trans people around Australia.

I somewhat surprised myself by watching all of “HEAD FIRST EP 4: THE WRONG BODY” last night. I have a low tolerance for the sex changing genre of Transexual documentary and with the word BODY in the title I was expecting a catalogue of surgical interventions. How wrong I was!

So why did i watch? It wasn’t just for the cameo appearance of Liz in Cairns!

Here are the things I was surprised about:

[ul]They talked about a transitioning in a general way of aligning presentation with inner gender – not in the narrow sense of changing ones physical sex

The people interviewed (albeit all born male) were on different journeys – seeking membership of a sporting team, a nose job. or physical sex (the last one I found a bit disturbing in a ‘senior’).

There was a thought provoking segment (with the parent of a Trans person) that questioned if taking hormones and blending in as a woman was for the benefit of others or for the Trans person.

The word “box” came up in a negative sense

The difference between sex and gender was presented in a clear way.

There was a scene where parents described how they realised their child was trans and not gay.

It was very well researched – and the message was one that would promote greater acceptance of all Trans (gender) people.[/ul]

Could go on…but why not watch it yourself.

http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/39096

[bee]

My comments on this ABC-TV original program are:

Firstly it’s good to see that ABC2-TV is actually making shows on this topic rather than rebroadcasting ones made by others. (The UK Ch4 2011 My Transsexual Summer series of 4 programs is currently being broadcast for the 3rd time at Sundays 9:30PM ABC2-TV)

Amanda has commented on things I was intending to, so I will only list my other ones.

I found it interesting that the program at first found it difficult to find people willing to go on camera here in Australia – I am not sure that is totally the case and whether perhaps better research would have had a different result. Although I can only comment for here in Queensland – other areas it may be different.

The story of 15 year old Riley showed what some kids and parents go through. Being a kid itself is hard enough so the extra ‘pressure?’ of being Gender Diverse must be tough. The attitude of her mother was telling – perhaps being slightly over protective and so different from the outgoing positive attitude of Gender Diverse kids shown in New York.

I understand the reason for the inclusion of the perhaps over long story of Racy and the roller derby – showing how difficult it can be to ‘fit-in’. But perhaps this could have been shown with the sometimes difficulty of job placement – a more important aspect perhaps.

I am not sure the Dr in Cairns added much to the story, although I have met similar people who seem to need to make sexual jokes every minute. So I guess it’s a valid sample of some of the community.

The overwhelming thing from most Australians interviewed for me was … their voice! So difficult but oh… so important to get right if people are wanting to blend in. Which is a choice for each person of course.

[Anonymous]

I read a post by Liz in her Blog about a show on ABC2 called Head First, Episode 4, The Wrong Body, that aired on the 22nd May 2013.

It was a really good look at Transgenderism from the point of view of someone who knew nothing about it. It is really worth watching and possibly even recording to show someone who is having trouble understanding. Of course it won’t please everyone but I feel it is really worth watching.

You can watch it on your computer with IView, in the program listing for ABC2.

Hugs Pamela!

Moderator

Quote:

Duplicate thread! I’ve merged this as the ABC2 doco already is being discussed outside Liz’s blog
PLEASE look in the forums first!

[Adrian]

Here is our resident “chick-magnet” in action in the documentary

[Anonymous]

Can’t believe I looked and missed this forum, but thanks for the cameo of Liz, I never would have picked her out.

[Carol]

I watched the show and later my wife watched it on i view, so thanks to Angela for flagging it. I thought it was a good first effort though it cried out for a second episode with more about the wider range of gender fluid people who do not have their eyes firmly set on a version of transition. I found it disturbing that the youngster who wanted to dress in her preferred gender without changing her body was essentially pushed by her mother into going all out so she would fit in more believably. In defence of the show’s initial failure to find “people” in Australia willing to come on the show, they did make it clear that the were seeking to start with young folk and parents were the ones reluctant to see their children outed on TV.
But definitely worth watching.