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So I was reading a post where the writer (who is transgendered) wonders if Brienne from A Song of Ice and Fire is transgendered. For those of you not watching A Game of Thrones (where she appeared for the first time last week) or familiar with the books, she's a woman warrior who is better than many of the men she faces. She's built like a warrior. She looks like a warrior. She is not, at least as far as I got in the books, transgendered. However, there's nothing wrong with wondering and speculating about fictional characters. I think we might all do that from time to time. *winks*
However, one of the people commenting to the post said this: "I agree that she is living the only way she can. Women in Westeros who want to be soldiers or knights have to wear the clothes and walk the walk. There are several women, like the She-Bear of Mormont, who are strong female figures and not afraid to be strong. I wonder how many of them would transition if that was an option." Maybe it's me, but I find that statement appalling because of the suggestion that "strong female figures" who are "not afraid to be strong" must naturally want to be men and not strong, empowered women. I guess, if I follow the broadest assumptions in that statement, women aren't inclined to, aren't able to, or don't desire to be strong and empowered. Also, by selecting only women of a certain body type, profession, and physical features, the implication is also there that women who are more stereotypically feminine (I'm thinking here of Dany) can't be strong or unafraid of their strength.
I find both those notions more than a little unsettling.
However, one of the people commenting to the post said this: "I agree that she is living the only way she can. Women in Westeros who want to be soldiers or knights have to wear the clothes and walk the walk. There are several women, like the She-Bear of Mormont, who are strong female figures and not afraid to be strong. I wonder how many of them would transition if that was an option." Maybe it's me, but I find that statement appalling because of the suggestion that "strong female figures" who are "not afraid to be strong" must naturally want to be men and not strong, empowered women. I guess, if I follow the broadest assumptions in that statement, women aren't inclined to, aren't able to, or don't desire to be strong and empowered. Also, by selecting only women of a certain body type, profession, and physical features, the implication is also there that women who are more stereotypically feminine (I'm thinking here of Dany) can't be strong or unafraid of their strength.
I find both those notions more than a little unsettling.
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I also find it troubling that if you're female, or outwardly female, or apparently female, and you are a strong person, and have socially constructed "masculine" traits, or liv and work in a male-dominated field, you must necessarily want to be male.
I've speculated myself about Brienne's gender identity AND her sexuality, but there's no hint in the books that she's a lesbian or transgendered, that I remember. As far as I can tell, she's in love with Renly. (Which doesn't preclude being trans, but still.)
Fantasy seems to have no trouble with big, sturdy farmgirls, and I never see speculation that they want to be big, sturdy farmboys. What about the red witch...does she want to be a wizard instead? This just opens up all sorts of speculation for me.
And I really don't know, because I question how well GRRM writes female characters. I have criticism of how he writes Dany, and there's plenty more out there, male gaze and all. So my trust as to how he would take on a trans character is low.
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We all need to just stop it. Accept that women can be strong without being a bitch, or now, wanting to be a man. I was a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was very girly and kicked some serious ass. I hardly think she secretly wanted to be a dude.
I haven't read the books yet, but do watch Game of Thrones on HBO (and too often at that). While one of the joys of literature is that everyone can interpret in in their own way, paint their own beautiful picture of what they've read, to flatly think that the author would imagine any of these characters as transgender seems totally ludicrous to me. When they give "milk of the poppy" for pain, I don't think that the medical practitioners in Westeros have perfected gender reassignment surgery. Hm, maybe the witches can do it???
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Savageseraph says the poster was transgendered. She doesn't say MTF, or FTM, or one of the other identities (like mine, androgynous) which fall under the trans umbrella.
For clarification...if the writer is a transman, you're not saying he's a woman perpetuating a stereotype, are you?
Edit to add: If the poster is a transwoman, it's just as problematic, of course.
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Although I looked at the first ebook that person published, a romance of sorts with more deeply disturbing stuff in it. Namely an accident victim who is horribly scarred and has reconstructive surgery that makes her cosmetically more attractive to the man she was in an unfulfilling relationship with before the accident. When she gets him, it seems she discovers another man who helped her during her recovery is more of what she wants.
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You said the poster was trans. And my feeling was that chances were better than even FTM, given the context. I have plenty of trans friends, I'm part of the trans spectrum, it's not infallible, but that was my sense of it.
And so misgendering the poster bothered me. I didn't mean to stir anything up, just delicately sau "ahem."
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My response would have been: "You didn't think that through very well before you hit 'enter', did you?"
Ah well. People say all kinds of things off the cuff that seem just fine and dandy to them at the moment, without benefit of having vetted it to someone besides the cat (cats tend to go the diplomatic silence route).
Being challenged on our fond and unexamined ideas is at least 50% of the point of internet discussion, so I hope someone pointed out to that person the flaws in her logic.
Also disturbing is the poster's implied notion that such a strong and fearless woman could not/should not be heterosexual. I think Briennes's rejection of the title of Lady has nothing to do with her gender, and everything to do with knowing tiredly well where she is and with who, and that a simple title directed at her alters the eye and ear of her chosen companions. In armor, she's a welcome sword-arm. With her helmet off and being hailed as Lady, the world shifts again. She wants to be an equal to her peers. She can't be if they're being helped not to see her that way, or given an excuse not to.
Mmmyeah. This is me over-thinking A Song of Ice and Fire again. :)
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I haven't been back to look at the post, but no one had replied to her at the time I looked, and given the LJ I found it in, I find it unlikely someone would bring her glaring logical fallacies to her attention.