southern comfort film (3)

For one of our ED 453 classes, we watched a documentary entitled Southern Comfort (SC). Ironically, I left the film and class feeling rather uncomfortable. SC was based on a true story about a transsexual person named Robert whose medical history, family & friends, and love life are all examined. Robert, who is suffering from cervix cancer, is irate with the manner in which his physicians treated he and his surgical requests. Throughout the film, Robert is being comforted by some of his transgender, transsexual and homosexual friends and a special attention is paid by the director (and Robert) to his transgender girlfriend, Lola. It is in this relationship that the audience is able to view Robert in both thought and emotion.

I would be remiss if I failed to comment on the role that my religious beliefs had on my film viewing. Considering myself to be a Catholic with strong beliefs, I keep asking myself why an individual's sexual orientation and sexual practice do not always coincide. The Catholic Church teaches that only a natural man and woman are meant to have sexual intercourse and procreate--which is apparently not the case between Robert & Lola (one of them was born a female and the other a male). That being the case, I would still argue that Robert and Lola (along with some of their other friends/partners) are abusing their human sexuality, because God did not intend for them to born of the opposite gender. If He did, I don't believe He would have forced them to undergo such pain and scrutiny from others--especially in the medical field.

I would like to close by saying that I was fascinated by a statement Robert made towards the end of the film--namely that "being a man or woman has nothing to do with your genitalia. It's all about your heart." I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with Robert, but then again, I am examining and interpreting this situation from a very different vantage point.