Gender and politics: blurring the boundaries
Bay Windows
by Angela Alberti
Bay Windows contributor
Wednesday Jun 9, 2010
http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=community&sc=community_guide&sc2=news&sc3=&id=106727 (http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=community&sc=community_guide&sc2=news&sc3=&id=106727)
Gunner Scott may have sat next to you on the Green Line this morning, but you didn't notice him. Like most mornings, he walks the Freedom Trail near Boston Common's northeastern boarder, along with other young men hoping to make names for themselves on Beacon Hill. They are clean-shaven and wear suits; he has a beard and khakis. He passes the gold-domed capitol building, stepping into a coffee shop, where he stands in line and holds the door open as you leave -- his manners are impeccable. And when you turn left around the corner, he turns right onto Beacon Street and slips quietly into a marble-faced building.
Today, Gunner Scott bet on the fact that you would be too busy with your own life to look closely at him. He won. In a world where getting noticed is everything, your dismissal is not insulting. To him, it means life is a bit easier; it means safety from puzzled glares, hateful words, even violent attacks. Because Gunner Scott was born female.