The Evolution Of This Project - some background

We were given the theme of "Evolution" by our tutors. We could take it where we wanted.
Our evolution-themed project explores the issue of transgender. After much researching and brainstorming about what the word “evolution” means, and what Darwin’s evolution theory has meant for civilisation, we found ourselves drawn to concepts of “nature”, and about what is deemed as “natural” and what is not, within culture. Although Darwin’s writings only concern species within the animal world, key concepts of his natural selection theory have been adapted and popularised by academia and the general public in relation to humans. We decided to explore issues around what happens – within a social and political context – when a person goes against what is culturally deemed to be “natural”.

Transgender people have defied cultural notions of sex as destiny. They disrupt and disturb what a large portion of society deems as “natural” by altering their sex. The evolution of a particular transgender person forms the basis of our project. We will be exploring the life of Y, who was born male and is now female. We will be examining the life of Y both when she was male, through to her gender reassignment. Y is now in her late 40s-early 50s and has first-hand experience as to the way people behave when confronted with a body that is culturally deemed as “unnatural” and/or tampered with. We will be exploring both her physical and psychological adaptation throughout her life in regards to her transgenderism. We feel this central part of our project – the life of a transgender person – strongly expresses ideas and concepts relative to the theme of evolution.
Issues that we aim to explore by interviewing Y relate to how society’s ideas of what is “natural” and what is “unnatural” have evolved, and if contemporary society and culture is more or less tolerant of her transgenderism than in the past. We will be examining if her life as a transgender person is more or less difficult as she gets older, and how she feels about her transgenderism in hindsight. We aim to give a broad overview of Y’s evolution as a transgender person.

Our project also entails interviewing a speech pathologist who works with transgender people. We aim to explore how a speech pathologist assists the evolution of a transgender person from one sex to another via coaching the voice of the transgender person to sound more masculine or more feminine. We will explore voice and speech patterns that a transgender person tries to erode or enhance in their journey through transgender, and what social obstacles transgender clients try to overcome via altering their voice to appear “normal” and in alignment and cohesive with their transgender.

In regards to an overall insight into issues facing the transgender community at large, we will be interviewing a representative of Transgender Victoria. As background we will examine how the association evolved, and how it aims to assist transgender people. We will be exploring issues and prejudice specific to the transgender community, and society’s changing ideas of gender “norms” with specific regard to trangenderism. We feel that this element of our project will give an historic perspective on issues related to transgender in order to provide a context in which the evolution of Y’s sexuality has occurred. This aspect will enhance the framework under which Y’s transgenderism can be understood.

We will also be interviewing a counsellor who deals with psychological and emotional issues faced by people who wish to undergo gender reassignment. We feel this interview will provide insight and understanding as to how one psychologically copes with undergoing life-changing gender change. We aim to explore with our interviewee the emotional landscape experienced by people who are transgender, and how counselling might assist in transition from one gender to another. This aspect will further enhance the overall ‘evolution’ theme by creating an understanding of what psychological issues are specific to transgender people, and how such issues can be worked through.
We feel that the concept of our project allows much room for examining evolution of sexuality from a transgender perspective. We aim to deliver a well-rounded exploration of transgenderism and are excited that the theme of “evolution” has allowed us to think creatively about what socially accepted notions of “nature” mean for a minority who exist outside standard, conventional norms. For the viewer and/or listener we hope to provoke thought and insight into transgenderism via presenting a very personal story amid a backdrop of expert opinion. We believe our project will be educational and sensitive to issues surrounding transgender. The project will be thoughtful and revealing and highly relevant to issues of “nature” and evolution.