While the "Tran-sexual Manifesto" talks about many of the problems transsexuals face, and is a call to action to do away with this discrimination, I believe the two movies "Beautiful Daughters" and "Southern Comfort" do a wonderful job of showing just how normal transsexuals are.
We often think of transsexuals as drag wearing, sexual performers who are only doing what they are doing because of some bizarre sexual fetish. While hearing the stories of the women from "Beautiful Daughters" I was amazed to find that most of them led normal lives, some as real estate developers other as computer and electrical engineers. On their road to transition they faced a number of roadblocks, from employment discrimination to drug addition. Why would these women go through all this trouble if they didn't have a deep belief in what they were fighting for?
I think that the first thing cisgender people can do is to help is (obviously) treat transexuals as they want to be treated. I think one thing we can do is to stop think of biological men being masculing and biological women as being feminine, and realize that these character traits can belong to either biological sex in varying degrees. This would not only do wonders for the transsexual community, but other non-heterosexual people. Even heterosexuals them selves would be freed from the ridged exceptions we now put on them.
Finally, I would like to reflect on one last thing. I was disappointed in the number of doctors who refused Robert Eads the medical care he needed, simply because they were afraid of the effect it would have on their reputations. I believe these doctors where ignoring their Hypocratic Oath, and due to their in action were the primary cause of Roberts death.
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