Eve Ensler: trans people have been caricatures for too long
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/aug/19/her-story-transgender-web-tv-series-eve-ensler
The Guardian/Eve Ensler Wednesday 19 August 2015 10.28 EDT
"Eleven years ago, I went up into the California mountains with a group of women who were producing and acting in the first all-transgender production of my play The Vagina Monologues. Many of the women were coming out as trans. Many had suffered terrible violence and trauma.
During those days in the mountains, I learned about the prejudices and stigma that force transgender people into stealth existences. I learned of painful childhoods, where those determined as male or female struggle against bullying and mind control to feel right in their bodies. I learned how the assignment of sex is random, and can be catastrophic. I learned how patriarchy attempts to annihilate anyone assigned a male identity who knows they are female and attempts to make the transition. I learned about the gruelling processes – physical, emotional and spiritual – trans people go through to match their bodies with their beings."
I really admire her work. It's nice to see a feminist icon who is firmly on our side and who doesn't take decades to make up her mind that we're human.