I am J and the question of gender - Essay Example

“I am J” by Cris Beam Cris beam in his book “I am J” touches the sensitive topic of transgender and explains it through a character called J (born Jenifer Silver). J was born as a boy inside a girl’s body. He struggle all his life to recognize his identity. Physically he was a girl and had even menstrual periods but there was something missing in his life, the inner satisfaction. He was always attracted to do things that guys perform and think like them too. However, there were certain stimulating factors from the environment that always give him a second thought of her gender.

For instance, from J’s earliest childhood memory, she was praised as a lovely cute boy while running without a shirt was very embracing for him. She faced this shame all her life in a number of other ways till he matures into a gangly seventeen year old girl. Whether he is at school competing in the swimming team or at home arguing with his parents, he always saw world as a confused and backward place. As J begins his transformation, he avoids going to school and bunk out all night to avoid his uncomfortable home and gives his mind a space where it can relax and understand his gender identity.

In his gender identity quest, he thought of taking testosterone shots and surgical methods as he thinks that it will give him more confidence and let him what he really is, regardless of what his parents and others think(Beam, 2011). Marcia who was J’s friend also a transgender thinks that all of us possess some masculine and feminine qualities. For me, I agree with the statement partially. Yes, we do have same qualities and the intensity of these qualities may range from person to person, but such qualities do not show our gender trait.

A gender is a trait that is specified by anatomy and physiology of a person. A boy who is more emotional does not mean that he is a girl inside. ReferencesBeam, C. (2011). I am j. (pp. 155-213). USA: Little Brown Books for Young Readers.