Nomenclature

Last month at my book club meeting, we discussed the sweeping historical novel, Moloka'i, which chronicles the treatment of Hansen's disease victims in Hawaii across the Twentieth Century. At one point our moderator asked, "Who were your favorite characters in the novel?" and the gentleman sitting next to me replied, "I really liked Liliana, the hermaphrodite."

For a quick second, I wondered whether we'd read the same novel. There is no character named Liliana in Moloka'i, and there is no hermaphrodite. Then it dawned on me which character he was referring to.

I turned to him quietly and said, "I think you mean Leilani--"

"Oh, right, Leilani," he corrected himself

"--and she's transgender," I told him.

"Oh, well, whatever, I can't keep up with all the current names for things."

There quickly ensued a lively conversation among the group members about hermaphrodites, why Leilani was one (because she was born a man but prayed for breasts and finally got them as a result of her disease), and what modern-day parents do when faced with the birth of a child who is a hermaphrodite.

While all of this transpired, I simply sat in stunned silence.

Sometimes I assume that the fundamental knowledge I have about the world around me is the same fundamental knowledge shared by everyone in my age group. On more than one occasion, it has been pointed out to me that I am profoundly naive in this assumption.

So, for the sake of clarification, my fellow Boomers, here is a glossary of sorts that you might find helpful if you're unfamiliar with the "current names for things."

Hermaphrodite: A person born with both male and female reproductive organs. We now call these individuals "intersex" persons. In the olden days, parents were told by doctors to choose a gender for their newborn infant. Surgeries would eventually be performed to "correct" the anomalies of the gender not chosen. Thank heavens we are far, far beyond that now. (And no, "Leilani" in Moloka'i is not a hermaphrodite. And yes, I did eventually speak up in my group and share this.)

Binary:  Either/Or; an individual who identifies as completely female or male. Sidenote: If your gender identity matches the sex you were "assigned" at birth, you are "cisgender" or "cissexual," more commonly seen now as simply "cis man" or "cis woman."

Non-binary: Individuals who don't identify entirely as one or the other (male or female). Other current terms for this are genderqueer, agender and bigender.

Transgender:  A person whose gender does not correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth. If you struggle to understand how this could possibly be, how a person born a "female" could grow up thinking, "But... I'm a guy," or vice versa, I strongly recommend you head over to Youtube and put "Transgender" in the search bar, then scroll through the many, many videos depicting explanations and/or stories of "trans" individuals. Years ago, when I sought out Youtube for the right words to enlighten some of my questioning students, there were a half dozen or so videos on the subject. Now, there are, well, lots and lots. Click on these highlighted words for a brief video that might help explain the neuroscience of being transgender.

Gender Affirmation Surgery: Previously known as SRS--Sex Reassignment Surgery--this is what occurs when, say, my friend Lee decides he is tired of walking around with breasts when he is clearly male and has felt male all his life, and now especially feels male after taking medication for some time to suppress the estrogen the ovaries in his body produce and replace it with testosterone, so he opts to have his breasts removed (and possibly his uterus and ovaries) so that his body image matches his identity--and, by the way, matches his new drivers license, which now shows his gender as male. It's much easier for him to flow through airport security these days, let me tell you.

Why is this all so important? Why do I feel the need to educate my cohorts on proper nomenclature for my transgender friends? Because names matter.

Names. Matter.

We use derogatory names for those we fear, judge, or ostracize.

My fellow Boomers, let us reflect for a brief moment upon the 1950's and 1960's of our youth. What did we call gay people? Yep, just take a minute and recall all those names you heard in school or possibly at home. (I didn't, thank goodness. My mom had gay friends all her life, and never made a big deal about anyone loving someone of the same sex. Yay, Mom!)

And what did we call Japanese people in the '50's (because they were "the enemy" during WWII)? Or Black people? Or Hispanic people, especially if they weren't born here? Mm hmm.

Names. Matter.

Odd to think now, isn't it, that referring to someone as "gay" was a difficult transition for some folks. But now you wouldn't think of calling your gay friends, neighbors, or family members "fags" or "dykes" or whatever, would you? Of course not.

As our world and our world view continue to expand with new information and new insight, let us also expand our vocabulary as needed.

Ya dig? Groovy. Peace, brothers and sisters (and those who identify as non-binary)!