Date of Award

2002

Document Type

Thesis - ECU Access Only

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Regional Professional Studies

First Supervisor

Dr Julie Goyder

Abstract

In Australia, and many Western cultures, gender is seen as a binary construction in which the categories 'male/man' and 'female/woman' are mutually exclusive. However, there are many people who feel uncomfortable being situated in the Western gender binary. This may include, but is not limited to, intersexed individuals, transsexuals, gays and lesbians, transvestites, drag kings, drag queens or androgynes. Turning Points is a novel in progress that describes the experiences of a family in which one member, the husband/father, Drew, is a male-to-female transsexual. The story opens shortly after Drew re-enters the family circle as Jenny, after spending a lengthy period living alone, coming to terms with her new identity and transitioning from man to woman. Essentially, the decision that one person makes to move from one side of the gender divide to the other causes a ripple effect, the consequences of which can never be fully anticipated. In Turning Points, each person in the family is given their own voice to explain how they feel about what is happening to them as individuals and as a family. The isolation and discrimination they face reflect the way in which society as a whole responds not only to gender 'outlaws' (Bornstein, 1994), such as Jenny, but to many individuals who identify as or are considered as 'other'.

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