Boys Dont Cry Analysis

The representation of gender and sexuality can be seen through many different cultural outlets. Movies, as one example of a depiction of culture, have become vastly more inclusive around topics of gender and sexuality. At the turn of the century, the movie Boys Don’t Cry (1999), sought to tell the true tragedy of a transgender man exploring his identity and trying to find love in the early 90’s in a small, conservative town in Nebraska. His story would have been passed over and forgotten just like many stories of gender and sexuality during this time. It only took a few confident voices to explore one of the many lives that struggle with identity and society. Directors, writers, producers, actresses, and actors came together to create a beautiful

Brandon began his transition in his late teens by referring to himself as a “he,” dating girls and dawning a more masculine look with short hair and male clothing. Brandon was on track to a rebellious lifestyle by skipping school and receiving failing grades. Due in part to his mother and other loved one’s lack of acceptance of his transition. Brandon suffered battles with depression and was to a crisis center where they diagnosed him with gender identity crisis and personality disorder. Brandon never got the help he needed because he stopped attending therapy sessions and got wrapped up in criminal behavior instead like forgery and theft. He eventually left Lincoln and relocated to Humboldt, Nebraska where no one was familiar with his biological assignment and his criminal history (“Brandon Teena

All the people whose sexuality did not fit the specified heterosexual norm. All the people who’s gender was stereotyped and demeaned just because they did not agree with what they were assigned. All the people who held normal values and beliefs, but because they were physically a little different, were treated as less than human. Now Brandon Teena was not the only transgender who suffered a tragic ending. This movie however, did open people’s eyes to the reality that people alike face every day. Premiere Magazine released a list of what it called “The 25 Most Dangerous Movies Ever Made,” with Boys Don’t Cry coming in at number 24. In the description it states, “These are movies about which you could say, “That’s Not Entertainment.” They’re not “rides” or “diversions.” They are galvanizing experiences that place squarely in your face all the stuff Hollywood usually presumes you go to the movies to get away from. Films that rearrange your head, that challenge your bedrock ideas about life and love and the big sleep. Consciousness-expanders, in other words, but rarely in a pleasant way. Thank God for them" (“Premiere Magazine's The 25 Most Dangerous Movies Ever Made”). I believe Hilary Swank put it every so beautifully in her Oscar acceptance speech for her role as Brandon Teena. She said, “I pray for the day when we not only accept our differences, but we actually celebrate our