Brandon Teena

adapted from the real life story of Brandon Teena, a transgender man who was passing in rural Nebraska. After passing for some time and successfully dating local girls, Brandon was brutally beaten, raped, and murdered at the hands of two cisgender men who felt threatened by his masculinity. Peirce, with her “long-standing interest in transvestism and transsexuality,” sought to reclaim sensationalized media accounts of the 1993 murder of the real Brandon Teena (Leigh, 18). This paper will…

while the truck goes around in circles in an empty lot. Only a little into the film, when Brandon is shown undressing that you see that he has wound up his breasts and stuffed his underwear to conceal the fact that he was born a female. Moss and Zeavin (2001) say that Pierce through the use of a conventional narrative brings in the struggle between the cisnormative society and transsexual identities. Brandon is portrayed as being doomed from the beginning, but is charismatic and beguiling,…

respectfully and correctly maintains Brandon’s self-determined gender and despite violent and degrading attempts to strip him of his masculinity, his true self remains. It’s almost impossible for the viewer, despite knowing Brandon’s original sex, to regard Brandon as anything but male. Artfully shot, Peirce always maintains Brandon’s “maleness”. The film therefore challenges assumptions of heteronormativity: “The most basic assumption of heteronormativity is that gender is naturally ascribed,…

The year was 1993, Bill Clinton was president and Schindler’s list came out in theaters. That same year Brandon Teena is raped and murdered. Teena had a name change to suit her new identity from Teena to Brandon. After analysis they determined she dealt with identity crisis. He was not alone, today there are several thousands of people who go through the struggle of finding themselves. At a young age we begin to experiment with our bodies and at that point we start testing the waters in regard…

Because Brandon is not “normal,” the men in their group fear and hate unnatural characteristics. Gender in society is one of the elements that can either be normal or not normal, but the fact is that just since society sets these standards does not mean it is right…

‘property of masculinity in a complex and situated economy of gender relations” (Duggan 216, 2004). Men get a higher wage than women, and are able to obtain an employment at an easier rate than women. They also face less danger within society. Brandon/Teena did not want to relive her abuse and did whatever she could to avoid situations where she could become revictimized. Men have certain privileges within a nation and are expected to defend their rights. This is seen in majority of men who…

In Kimberly Peirce’s 1999 movie, Boys Don’t Cry was based on real life events of Brandon Teena (Hilary Swank) who is a young female-to-male transgender individual. In the opening scene of Boys Don’t Cry, Brandon leaves his hometown because his ex-girlfriend’s brother discovers that Brandon is biologically a female. In the same night, Brandon gets into a bar fight where he met John (Peter Sarsgaard) and Tom (Brendan Sexton III). Eventually, Bandon ends up traveling with Tom and John to a small…

Transgender Rights and Issues Transgender people have faced issues for decades. From lack of acceptance from peers to straight out murders, trans issues are a big deal. Almost daily, transgender people face discrimination for not being their gender assigned at birth. Doctors choose the gender of a baby based off genitalia, which is sometimes inaccurate. While a good amount of the population is cisgender, where your gender corresponds with that assigned at birth, transgender people are a…

Boys don’t cry, directed by Kimberly Peirce, is an adaption of the real-life story of Brandon Teena. Brandon is a trans man who attempts to lead a new life with his girlfriend (Lana) but loses his life in a hate crime perpetrated by two male friends (John and Tom) enraged by his double identity. In the biopic, Peirce challenges the restricting binary system that forces people into either category of male or female and honors masculine privileges. In doing so, she reveals the brutal suppression…

The Film Boys Don’t Cry by Kimberley Pierce 1999 which was based on the true life story of Brandon Teena a transgendered individual. The film depicts the last few weeks of Brandon’s life. This essay will focus on the films ability of queering the spectator which Anat Pick claims the film does in relation to a few important scenes from the movie that being the scene where Brandon and Lana are being intimate near the lake. Therefore the main topic of discussion; is that of queer or queering;…