Intersexual & Transexual

Obviously, the human body is anatomically and physiologically more complex than any science has yet to comprehend and explain. Whether genetic or congenital, natured or nurtured, there will always be human developmental characteristics that will remain puzzling to our knowledge. Born with primary and secondary male or female sexual organs and woman or man trapped in the wrong body are the simplest ways that I respectively understand intersexuality and transexuality to be. However, since most of them live a homosexual lifestyle and since some of us are not culturally inclined to do extensively investigations or researches in such issues, I among many others used to call them all homosexuals. My study of the topics has helped me to create a shade of gray in between it all. I must admit that my perception of hermaphrodites and pseudohermaphrodites has somewhat changed. I now understand the deformities that may be present at birth in either kind. It is sad to know some of the identity issues and labyrinths they have to go through when their parents or doctors decide their sexes or genders at birth without proper analysis or knowledge of the lifelong effect. Until our cultures acknowledge the possibility of the existence of more than two sexes (male & female), we are most likely to see or hear of these occurrences in various parts of the world. Evidently, in most cases, the choices made by parents or doctors are usually wrong and caused the hermaphrodites or pseudohermaphrodites to live miserably long enough before their true identities are revealed or outwardly displayed. Being in this position as a parent, I would not be too quick in making a decision to choose a sex or gender. If the condition is seeing or diagnosed in the embryo stages or before birth and can be biologically corrected while leaning toward the most predominant sex or present sex organs then, I would carefully consider the alternative. Furthermore, if the condition is risky to life and death or possibility of increasing abnormalities, I will choose life or health regardless of what needs to be done. However, if my child were born that way, s/he would have to decide for him/herself later in life. Honestly, in regard to transexuality where as a fully-grown man or a woman with all primary and secondary sex organs feeling trapped in the wrong, I am still a little rigid. But knowing the complexity of human body, mind, and spirit, I am going to remain opened to new or more scientific information or proof. At this point, I think transexuality is mainly mental and closely related to homosexuality. As a result, I believe that people should never be prejudice and/or judgmental about anybody because of their cultural, sexual, and biological differences, skin color, gender, and ethnicity. We are all one race come in different shapes and shades. Whether straight, gay, bi-sexual, intersexual, transexual, normal, or abnormal per se, our days here are numbered. So, live, laugh, and love!

Class & Professor Evaluation

As a student majoring in education, I knew first off that I had to take this class. The name of the class itself “ Diverse Populations” sounded very enticing and interesting, but I had no idea what it entailed. So, prior to registering for it, I asked a few students who had already taken the class to refer me to a good professor. Believe it or not, good in that sense means easy. Honestly, this is not always my definition. For the most part, I like challenges. But since it was going to be a short six weeks class, I figured easy would be the way to go. None of them referred me to or even mentioned professor McNair. So, I got in His class. On May 12th, 2009, first day of class, I was faced with neither good nor easy, I was faced with education and true knowledge of diverse populations to a dept I could have never imagine. First topic was transformation. Every other topic thereafter was somehow related to transformation. The relationship was not through meanings or contexts, but in terms of equipping and empowering us with knowledge needed from that point on and to the rest of our teaching career. It instilled in us a multicultural awareness and consciousness that will help us to function in any social settings especially those of our public schools. Those we can share and transmit to others. When I told the other students who had already taken the class with different professors about what I was learning and doing in class, they were shocked. Personally, I do not know what lies ahead through the course of educational program, but so far, I could not picture myself being a teacher without the experience this class. I have already envisioned myself sharing the information that I have gained in the class about different cultures, the diverse society, race, racism, sex, sexism, homosexual, inter-sexual, transsexual, bi-sexual, holocaust, prejudice, ethnocentrism, and much more with my future students. I was compelled to read and learn a lot more than I ever had to do before for any classroom requirement. We had to complete 18 reflections with a minimum of 25 lines each on articles, journals or essays composed of at least 10 pages and up to 50 plus pages, a behaviorism, constructivism, and an inquiry lesson plans, a hundred and fifty educational philosophy survey questions, a bio and purpose statement, a digital story, a blogger webpage that includes all of reflections and comments, and the basic uses of livetext.com to upload and submit work and turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. I have, sincerely, been transformed beyond my expectation. This class has laid the foundation that I needed for lifelong learning endeavors. Frankly, I do not think that I am capable of evaluating Professor McNair. But if I could said a few things, I would first say, on behalf of all my class mates, thank you so very much for sharing a bit of your knowledge with us. You are a prepared, an innovative, and a skillful transformer. Your knowledge of the subject matter made us all feel at ease and ready to read every article, journal, or essay, discuss and share our point of views, learn as we listened to your explanations, illustrations, and/or elaborations while reinforcing our participations and comprehensions. I could not ask for more. I am looking forward to having you as my professor again hopefully soon. Thank You, Sir!

Homosexuality

I have always been curious about the cause of homosexuality. I am not against any sexual orientations or preferences. In my research, I have yet to find anything that is conclusive or scientifically proven to be the cause. Years ago, my attitude toward homosexual was different. I used to condemn it as sinful and immoral behaviors that should have been punished not only by God also by constitutional Laws of very nation. As I grew older as a heterosexual man and got to interact a few gay people males and females, I opened myself up to more knowledge and understanding of what it is to be different individually and sexually. I began to ask some the most typical questions that they, homosexual and/or lesbian, face in a regular basis. When and how did you first know? Did you try to date the opposite sex? What happened? Are any of your close relatives gay? Were you raised by or did you grow up with or around homosexuals? Where you mentally, physically or sexual abused or molested as child? The answers for to those questions were very shocking to me, but yet offered no subtle ground to draw a conclusion. I did not record them in a percentage basis, but they varied from presumably born that way, to environmental effect, peer pressure, seduction, curiosity, disappointment by the opposite sex, don’t know or can’t explain, and not sure. When I measure my level of emotional tolerance or attraction for another man sexually, since they said no one is a 100% straight or gay, it is next to zero. Consequently, I ask myself why would a man or a woman want to be with another man or woman if nothing is different about him/her especially when society regards them so bad. Why would anybody want to go through that? Therefore, I concluded by seeing homosexuality as a biological imbalance that is neither good nor bad until a choice is made. The person is born with all male or female sexual or reproductive organs being intact, however somewhere in the anterior lobe of the brain something remains sexually uncensored or inactive until it is triggered by someone or something. And if at that very moment, someone with the same sex happens to be one fulfilling or satisfying that rush or need, it will register in the brain as is. As a result, when seeing someone of the same sex and if the other attractive elements are there, the person is aroused or excited for initiate approach. My views have not changed by studying the topic of homosexuality. In fact, the topic enhances my theory. Not to say it is true, but since there is still no scientific evidence for a specific cause, we are to believe that any of the factors can be the true.

INS Laws Toward Haitians & Cubans

Politics in any country whether third-world, industrialized, rich or poor always have a direct impact on economy. We are experiencing a serious economic crisis in the United States of America today because of poor political decisions that were made in the previous administration. Political parties in the United States or abroad are established and supported based on their economical agendas. The same is true for Cuba and Haiti. However, the United States Immigration Laws regard the two groups of migrants differently in approximately the same period of time. Politically, since the 1950’s, Haiti and Cuba have shared similar situations that have forced both people to flee the Island and come to U.S. shores. The only difference between the two is the Cubans are predominantly fairly light skin mulatoes and the Haitians are blacks. In U.S. Immigration Laws’ defense, I would say that it made more sense in 1950’s and 1960’s when Batista supporters were fleeing the Castro’s regime to label them as political refugees and grant them asylum. However, for the past two decades or so, the Haitians and Cubans have been crossing the ocean for the same reasons. They are both in search of a better life. Giving the political instabilities, violations of human rights, terrors, U.S. embargoes and sanctions, restoration of President Jean Bertrand Aristide by 20,000 U.S. soldiers, United Nations’ presence in Haiti, a better case should be made for political asylum for the Haitians. Instead, the U.S. Immigration Laws view their status as more economical than political just so they can be detained in refugee and detention camps and sent back to Haiti while the Cubans are offered permanent residence upon arrival or through lottery. I would rather they just call it racism. Do they not know that laws are what justify racism? Do they not know that their immigration laws toward the Haitians are biased and histories of two Islands migrations are accessible to the world? Do they not know that a case can be made for charges on institutional racism? The answer is yes to all. But, no one cares; it is Haiti. A poor little country that became the first black nation to be free in the world after slavery in 1804. A poor little Island that still has to pay France indemnity to compensate the slave owners who had lost slaves during the Haitian revolution. A poor little Island whose independence was not recognized by the U.S. until about a hundred years later. Obviously, this is more than just immigration laws; it is about Haiti’s role in the history of the world. For what it is worth, I believe the U.S. Immigration Laws toward the Haitians should be reformed. The focus should be on the political aspects which have caused too many lives and inhumane living conditions from the Duvalier’s regimes (Papa Doc & Baby doc) to even worst today

Race & Racism

Most of us were taught to associate race with skin color. As result, a lot of people still believe that there are about 4 to 5 different races today. This racial concept has been rooted in most of our cultures and has given birth to prejudice, bigotry, and all the elements of racism. Prior to reading these series of essays, I had heard or seen the term human race, but never paid attention to its true meaning. When I was about 11 years old, my late grandfather tried to explain it to me, but I could not understand his approach because it was too political. He grew up a catholic and served in the church throughout his life. As a young man, he wanted to become a priest, but for some unknown reasons, he became an educator, got married, and started a family. During that time, most if not all of catholic priests in Haiti were either an old white man from France, Canada, or Belgium. He said to me, no one is better than you, respect and treat everyone as you would want them to respect and treat you no matter who they are and what they look like, always try to finish what you start, and try to excel in all that you do, but keep in mind there are those who will always try to use their skin color and power to oppress you. Do not let that hinder you, he added! Now I know what he was trying to imply. We are all equal in terms of race because there is only one (the human race). The exploitation of the term race by many people especially those of European countries or descents to justify their behaviors and acts of prejudice should stop. There is no such thing as a superior, an in between, or an inferior race. The world is simply painted with different shades of colors that make it what it is today. Obviously and understandably, racism or its conceptual beliefs or practices are so culturally embedded it is and will probably be hard to teach the next generations otherwise. My hope is the original mitochondrial Eve DNA research of 1987 by Rebecca L. Cann, Mark Stoneking and Allen C. Wilson and the book “Out of Africa’s Eden” by Stephen Oppenheimer will be read and will begin to make sense to people of various ethnic backgrounds for them to understand how we all got here. In addition, different type of skin pigmentations will scientifically be known as simply climatic changes and adaptations as we migrated around world from Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago.

The Holocaust

History tells us that there had been many so-called ethnic cleansings in different parts of the world before and after the holocaust. So far, the holocaust was the most heinous crime ever committed by human beings to human beings. Personally, the estimated number of people murdered during that time by the Nazi regime really makes no difference, but the ways in which they were killed is inconceivably disturbing. I do not think that it is even fair to classify the holocaust as simply as ethnic cleansing. It had seemed as if Hitler and his accomplices or collaborators dehumanized themselves to perform the inhuman acts. They became machines of their so- called master race (idiots) run with human blood and flesh or were possessed by evil spirits. The main reason for me to say is that they even murdered their own people. Some or most if not all of the Jehovah witnesses, handicaps, communists and other political parties or oppositions and homosexuals were Germans. One of the things that I also find disturbing is that it all occurred only 64 to 75 years ago. An epoch when modern science, education, globalization, multicultural interaction and competence, freedom, journalism, telegram, inter-economics exchange, and democracy existed abroad. The whole world was watching. The Nazi’s sadistic quest, objective and/or ideology were to conquer the world at least all the European countries and purify their race in the process; therefore, they did not care. Another surprising thing to me is that the rest of the world specially the western world took so long to intervene. Were there any doubts about the occurrence or were they also afraid of the German’s horrific forces to some degree until their own interests or welled being were stake. These are questions that can be researched to a deeper extend. As for the holocaust deniers still today, the only benefit of the doubt that I give them is that they know it happened, but it is still hard to believe. Yes, it is hard to even try to comprehend that human beings can be so cruel. Yes, on that note, I concur. Unfortunately, if anyone sanely believes the holocaust did not happen, I would first suggest that they look at the evidence. Then I would remind them that there were survivals who had lived and seen it all. Lastly, I would say to them your opinion cannot be based on emotions, beliefs, and ethnocentricity. You need to research the facts. “IT HAPPENED”.

Cultural Chauvinism, Degradation, and Pride

Ethnocentrism plays a major role in the way most people perceive and represent their cultures. It reflects different individualistic cultural views and identities. Three of the most common forms of cultural representations are chauvinism, degradation, and pride. Even though the basic elements of any culture can be interchangeable or shared, fundamentally, some cultures are said to be pure and homogenous. In other words, if you are not deeply rooted from a particular culture such as that of France, you can not become a true member. You could be granted a legal status or perhaps a citizenship to live and receive the benefits of that culture as you desire, but you are never considered indigenous. That is cultural chauvinism. One of the positive aspects of cultural chauvinism is that is not viewed as superior or inferior than any other cultures. There may be some individual biases, but the idea is not to portrait it in such a way. On the other hand, in cultural degradation one or more groups or sub- groups are mistreated, discriminated against, segregated from, and sometimes exterminated on the basic of their race, color, religions, gender, etc. It is also known as ethnic cleansing and genocide. The latest one had recently occurred in Bosnia/Kosovo in the 1990’s. One might find it very hard to conceive such behaviors, but these acts are still subject to happen in some parts of world. And to some extent, I believe that cultural degradation of some kind is happening today in unthinkable places. In the United States, New Orleans, Louisiana is probably the only city that gives a good sense of cultural pride with their customary mardi gras. In places like Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and in Haiti, carnival really represents pride. People would travel from all over the world to go back to their homeland for a few days to celebrate unity, heritage, and culture. Personally, I think saying that “I am an American” does not show cultural pride. It simply means that I am pride to be a citizen of the United States of America. However, since we are more of a pluralistic society, some credits should be given for the efforts we have made so far. Culture pride in its entirety requires much more. We would need to unite as a nation, eliminate or at least reduce prejudices and/or racism, and desegregate ourselves to embrace such pride.