Boys (who once were girls) don't cry
Autobiographical novel maps Czech transsexual Mike Perry's long journey to biological manhood
Guest Writer | 14.03.2011 - 12:14
http://www.ceskapozice.cz/en/news/society/boys-who-once-were-girls-don%E2%80%99t-cry (http://www.ceskapozice.cz/en/news/society/boys-who-once-were-girls-don%E2%80%99t-cry)
Mike Perry's autobiographical novel, somewhat curiously titled "Klec pro majáky" (A Cage for Beacons), is the first Czech-language account of a person's transformation from being a woman to being a man. The author, formerly known as Ivana, underwent sex reassignment surgery in his early 50s, fulfilling a lifelong wish; the book's title is a metaphor for Perry's life experience.
"The title is a symbol of my experience in a woman's body," he told Czech Position. "All my life, I wanted to be a beacon for women, to catch their attention but also warn them, protect them, be their male guardian. However, I was imprisoned in my own body."