Analysis Of Emily Skidmore's Constructing The Good Transexual '

Emily Skidmore in her excerpt Constructing the “Good Transexual” Christine Jorgensen Whiteness and Heteronormativity in the Mid-Twentieth-Century Press published by Feminist Studies 37 covers the role that race, class, as well as heteronormative behavior play in the public perception of trans individuals. In her work, Skidmore utilizes many different stories of transgender females including one of the most iconic figures of transexuality in America, Christine Jorgensen. Throughout the passage she references Jorgensen as the model of a “good transexual” and how her acceptance for the most part had to do with her alignment with heteronormativity as well as her race and social status. To further prove her point she utilizes the stories of transwomen …show more content…
To drive home this thesis Skidmore uses the stories of four women who differ from Christine whether it be from class, race, heteronormativity, or all three in juxtaposition to the Jorgensen story of the “good transexual.” The story of Charlotte McLeod highlights the importance of class as well as respectable feminine behavior, both of which were exuded by Jorgensen, in the social perception of transgenders. SImilar to Jorgenson McLeod was white and a former G.I., but he had found it to be difficult so he left which had created this negative narrative living up to Christine’s standards. Her behavior was for the most part deemed unladylike due to the fact that she had gotten into some altercations with reporters. (Skidmore p.279) Charlotte was displaying manly behavior according to the press which did not fit into the mold of the middle class American female during the post war era. Due to the fact that she lacked image of femininity the press began to focus on her other issues as a way to demonize her in order to keep this “good transexual” model popularized by Jorgensen. McLeod faced quite a few financial struggles which led her to work at a nightclub which was quite far away from the respectable woman image. Although McLeod made attempts to align herself with heteronormativity she lacked the appeal due to her not having respectability. (Skidmore p. 281) When McLeod got married and gained financial stability she started to gain the respectability that was denied to her earlier. Skidmore quotes Dreama Moon’s White Enculturation and Bourgeois Ideology in which she states that “Any white woman regardless of class position, can aspire to become a ‘good (white) girl’” by simply aligning themselves with the image of white upper