Still an Individual: The Roles of Gender and the Mind

No matter how many surgeries or corrections one may obtain, no matter the hormone therapies, the fact remains that a person is either a male or a female. The proper role for a man is to live a virtuous life. For women, it is the same but that she may also worship her virtuous male counterpart as a hero. Chromosomes dictate whether an animal, mammal, and especially human being is born either one of two sexes. In the rare case that someone is born with both sexual organs, it is up to the parents to decide what sex their child will be. And in later years, the individual will be able to dictate whatever gender he or she chooses as a way of life.

In the case of Caitlyn Jenner, it is important to remember that before the transwoman status, Jenner projected the essence of masculinity. William Bruce Jenner competed on the world stage in the Olympics in the men’s events. He represented the alpha male who through strength and agility, conquered the realm of sports. Now, as a woman, Jenner ought to embrace the sense of femininity. This entails the full understanding of what it is to be a woman. While she may be too old to become the same athlete all over again, she could recognize the fact that she must still use her mind in every action that she undertakes, if she is to achieve. It is only reason which can release her from the onslaught of attacks and crude jokes that have surfaced since her transwoman reality.

Due to her gender dysphoria, Jenner experienced the most horrific and challenging traumas that go with her condition. She wrestled and toiled with the feelings of being a boy and man while still holding onto the ideals of currently being a woman. But this still does not deny the fact that she is a sovereign being and an end in herself, not the means to the ends of her supporters and certainly not her attackers. Her will to survive and possibly thrive rests in the realization that her mind and body belong to her. She is the only one who can direct her actions to live as a woman of rationality, by choice. Her sexual makeup has nothing to do with her ability to deal with the real world and to express herself in anyway she can, except that which is forbidden. The individual’s role is to discover and determine what is good for him or her. Only the rational being, a man or woman, can find out what makes their life worth living. If Caitlyn Jenner is happier as a woman, then that is the best route for her to take. It is up to her to choose solely what is proper for her lifestyle. No one can interfere with her decision to live that way. But all of this is done by a hierarchy and a system of values. To Jenner, the top value for her life seems to be to claim for herself her own true identity. By choice, she is stating to the world that it is okay to be born one way and end up another later on in life. Whatever the case, the person, male or female must chart out a life in full, complete with the knowledge that he or she is an indivisible sum not to be torn apart by any outside forces. Caitlyn Jenner represents the hero to many who may struggle with insecurities and setbacks and not actually open about who they are as an individual.

Much credit is due to Caitlyn Jenner for publicly announcing her transwoman status. The courage to stand up to critics and pundits who dump on her current position ought to be lauded. Despite the collectivists and pressure groups who want to label her as a cog in the wheel of sexual transformation, she is still an individual. Her cause to enlighten earth about the possibilities of identifying with the opposite sex exhibits her resolve to change minds about what it means to be human. For her unabashed determination to let others know of her situation, it gives those individuals the same sense of identity and purpose for being true to themselves.

Regardless of her role as a woman, Jenner will always be the person who stood up to hostility and opposition to seek to live a life on her own terms. Though a transgender person, Jenner could inspire and motivate people who want to come out as gay, lesbian, atheist, capitalist, or any other identity that may be misrepresented or completely misunderstood. She could be the symbol of what it means to dare to be different.

Gender euphoria ought to arise from the fact that sexual organs never say whether a person is rational or not. A person committed to improving themselves is the only moral estimation that ought to be given to an individual, not whether they possess female or male parts. The mind is the focus of what makes a person him or her. It is primarily how a person functions and employs their brain that states that that person is good or evil. It is not the matter of ethics that a person is straight or gay, white or black, male or female. Ethics comes into play in how that individual exercises his or her capacity to think. Be he a man or be she a woman, it makes no difference in the realm or right or wrong what feminization surgery or masculinity hormones are administered, the individual must still confront existence with the faculty that promotes survival: reason. Every man and woman must brave the circumstances of the world with the tool of his or her mind to succeed. For utilizing this tool, he or she might be rewarded with creative achievement, love, and self esteem. Whatever that sexual makeup happens to be, the fact stands that a person of the mind must make necessary decisions if they wish to further their lives.

Individualism does not mean to become a fashionable nonconformist. In Jenner’s case this means that it will not be the idea that by becoming a female Bruce was just separating from being a male to gain attention or reject men. Instead, it will be the level of going about as a rational woman of substance who knows what is good for her in the long-term. Individualism does not mean that Jenner will wear miniskirts, high heels, and lipstick. While she may adorn herself in these items, her sense of self will instead derive from her ability to carry herself as a lady. It is up to Jenner and others like her to illustrate that a choice to be a man or woman is private. It is up to him or her to make the decision and to live with it. Only a free society can allow individuals to make such a choice. And that’s where individual rights come into play.