NY Post Totally Down With Tranny Struggle

God bless Rupert Murdoch and his tabbie-newspaper spawn, The New York Post. Where else would you find such an eloquent, intricate and subtle headlining image?

Right off the bat “Free to be He-She” recalls the 70’s children’s cult classic, Free To Be… You and Me, thus giving it a broader cultural appeal. But it’s only after examining the story can one really appreciate the title’s real nuance…

This starts off like any other tranny tale: Brian Lopez never felt like a man. In fact, he never even considered himself a man, for young Brian thought you could choose your gender. It sounds a bit silly, yes, but Lopez didn’t have the most stable childhood: Administration for Children’s Services took him from his drug addict father at the age of six, thus throwing him into the at times harrowing world of foster homes and other orphanish experiences. Now some of you theater fags may think it seems like a Broadway dream a la Annie, this is not a singing, dancing matter. Shit’s hard out there for the children of drug addicts, whores and vagabonds. Trust us, we were raised by all three.

While it may not have been the most desirable situation, New York law says that ACS has to pay for all necessary medical treatment. After a series of tests and testimonials, doctors diagnosed Lopez with “gender-identity disorder”. At the age of 15, then, Lopez started taking hormones to become that lovely lady pictured above, “Mariah Lopez”.

That was six years ago. Now, at 21-years old, Mariah’s looking to clip her boy bits so she can leave Brian in the dust bin. Luckily, a judge has ruled (twice!) that Children’s Services should pay the 15,000-20,000 boner-reducing bones. We’ll let The Post scribes elaborate:

In a ruling to be released Thursday, Manhattan Family Court Judge Sheldon Rand said the city must provide the subsidized snip because the woman wannabe, identified as Mariah Lopez, had been in the care of the Administration for Children’s Services as a youngster.

The judge said the agency has a duty to pay for all “necessary” medical care to the kids in its charge.
…
Judge Rand wrote, “Mariah L. should be treated in order that she may go on with her life and be in a body which blends with the gender with which she identifies.”

For their part, ACS says Lopez doesn’t meet the psychotherapy and legal qualifications for surgery and they shouldn’t have to pay for Lopez’s final step. This is the second time the case has come before Judge Rand and, like before, ACS and the city of New York have a chance to appeal.

Now, back to the title. So, we have the “Free To Be… You and Me” reference, but what about “Free” – it’s not only a direct reference to the tax dollars that will pay for Lopez’s lady-making make-over, but alludes to her transformative liberation. It kind of makes us sort of misty.

As for the “He-She” bit – sure, it may come out seeming like an insensitive transphobic jab, but the writers obviously want the reader the know the hellish limbo in which Lopez lives. No doubt Lopez’s now sober father speaks for the entire Post team when he says, “She’s my son-daughter, I love her. If it’s in her blood to be a woman, so be it.” That should have been the fucking pull quote. But, we suppose, it may have been over the top.

“Free To Be He-She”? Understated poignancy…