Middle Sexes Film Review

1.    What is the main thesis of this film?

It seems to me that the thesis of this film revolves around the fact that there are more than two sexes in society. Contrary to popular belief, our society has more than two sexes. This film deals directly with the poor treatment of people who do not fit into the classic definition of male female, and it also demonstrates how different societies deal with people who do not fit into the classic categories.  

2.    What were the main arguments in support of this thesis?

The main arguments that support the fact that our society doesn’t accept change would be the story of Max Beck, who was forced into several surgeries in order to have a specific sex as defined by society. There was also the story of Barry, who was an active military man beat to death for loving a transgendered woman. Finally, there was the story of Noah whose parents are paranoid their son will be treated differently because he has feminine qualities. These stories are the crux of the thesis.             
3.    How does the thesis of this film relate to the course?

The thesis of this film deals directly with the main topics of this course because the people depicted in this course are not considered “normal” by society; therefore, they are deviant as deviance is defined as anything outside of the norm.

4.   Which arguments/points did you find the most convincing?

For me, the most convincing arguments dealt with the stories of people like Barry, the active military man who was killed for dating a transgendered woman. I think these stories relate to people and they put faces to the stories. People can relate to these stories when they can put a face to the people.

5.   Which arguments/points did you find the least convincing?

For me, the part of the documentary that was the least convincing dealt with the fact that the documentary did not go into detail of women who felt they were born in the wrong body. There were plenty of stories that revolved around transgendered females but not males. I think the documentary could have done a better job of looking at the issue by looking at transgendered males.

6.   Choose one argument, point or question that most stands out for you from the film. How would you study this point? Briefly design a research study around that point

The issue that stands out to me was the people who were persecuted for dating transgendered people. I would like to research how these people are treated. What is it like for people who date transgendered people? It did not work out well for Barry. I would seek out people who date transgendered people and ask them questions regarding the problems they face dating transgendered people.