AFS Cinema
We Should All Try to Give Guidance to Troubled Youth
RECEIVED Wed., March 3, 2004
Dear Editor,
I work with teens and am curious if, in the case of Ben Brownlee, all the options were weighed when he asked for help ["The Death of Ben Brownlee," News, Jan. 30]. In his recent photo, he definitely appeared androgynous. Did he also feel like a woman because he was a sweet, caring person? Were his thought patterns or interests typically female? If so, it seems a shame that a boy with the ability to empathize with women never got the chance to grow into his manhood. I believe we need more people in this world who have found a balance between their feminine and masculine aspects. Did his counseling include attempts to resolve his hatred for males as stated in his poetry? He was prescribed female hormones. Was the choice to take male hormones ever given? Maybe I am ignorant in thinking that guiding a "female with a penis" toward a transgendered lifestyle is to lead her/him through the most difficult and alienating path. Maybe it would have been equally difficult to help him reconcile his male self.
While I am not transgendered, I relate to a great deal of this story. I was an artistic, alienated teen with "brown blood" that grew up in a small Texas town where athletics, blond hair, and blue eyes were the ideal. I also had several close male friends and relatives who were effeminate and/or gay. I understand the pains of an environment that often greets anyone "different" with disgust, harassment, or violence – especially by males. I developed what felt like hatred of the human male species but quickly realized hating half the population is not healthy. I continuously and successfully work to transform those feelings of helplessness into a more empowering attitude and approach to life. Please consider doing the same if a troubled young person needs guidance.
I work with teens and am curious if, in the case of Ben Brownlee, all the options were weighed when he asked for help ["The Death of Ben Brownlee," News, Jan. 30]. In his recent photo, he definitely appeared androgynous. Did he also feel like a woman because he was a sweet, caring person? Were his thought patterns or interests typically female? If so, it seems a shame that a boy with the ability to empathize with women never got the chance to grow into his manhood. I believe we need more people in this world who have found a balance between their feminine and masculine aspects. Did his counseling include attempts to resolve his hatred for males as stated in his poetry? He was prescribed female hormones. Was the choice to take male hormones ever given? Maybe I am ignorant in thinking that guiding a "female with a penis" toward a transgendered lifestyle is to lead her/him through the most difficult and alienating path. Maybe it would have been equally difficult to help him reconcile his male self.
While I am not transgendered, I relate to a great deal of this story. I was an artistic, alienated teen with "brown blood" that grew up in a small Texas town where athletics, blond hair, and blue eyes were the ideal. I also had several close male friends and relatives who were effeminate and/or gay. I understand the pains of an environment that often greets anyone "different" with disgust, harassment, or violence – especially by males. I developed what felt like hatred of the human male species but quickly realized hating half the population is not healthy. I continuously and successfully work to transform those feelings of helplessness into a more empowering attitude and approach to life. Please consider doing the same if a troubled young person needs guidance.
Stephanie Reid
