Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
This thesis explores the implications of visibility and invisibility of transgender people, their constructed bodies, and how these bodies are used for both personal
empowerment and education. By using various gender theorists for support, I argue that
the transgender male body obtains power through visibility. Despite the many obstacles
transgender males face, putting their bodies in a space of visibility gives them both
personal power and the power to educate others about their bodies and sexuality. In doing
a study of the human body and the different definitions applied to it, I show how we, as a
society, are restricted by gender binaries and how the transgender body serves as a gap
between the socially-constructed terms. Ultimately, transgender people are able to break
through these barriers by subverting the definitions and meaning of “male” and “female.”
empowerment and education. By using various gender theorists for support, I argue that
the transgender male body obtains power through visibility. Despite the many obstacles
transgender males face, putting their bodies in a space of visibility gives them both
personal power and the power to educate others about their bodies and sexuality. In doing
a study of the human body and the different definitions applied to it, I show how we, as a
society, are restricted by gender binaries and how the transgender body serves as a gap
between the socially-constructed terms. Ultimately, transgender people are able to break
through these barriers by subverting the definitions and meaning of “male” and “female.”
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