Introduction
Topics surrounding human sexuality, for instance, gender roles, have been of interest to screenwriters and directors for a long time. Boys Don’t Cry is a famous movie directed by Kimberly Peirce at the dawn of the twenty-first century. It explores the influence of rigid gender-based behavioral expectations on a person’s well-being and safety. The movie portrays gender roles as a system of limiting expectations enforced on non-conforming people and influences the viewers’ behaviors by promoting empathy for minority individuals and self-care with regards to gender identity information.
Boys Don’t Cry
Being based on real events, the movie depicts the story of Brandon Teena, a transgender person from rural Nebraska. The protagonist identifies as a young man and calls himself Brandon, trying to keep his biological sex a secret (Peirce, 1999). After learning that Brandon is not physically male, his girlfriend’s brother threatens to kill Brandon, causing the latter to flee from his hometown (Peirce, 1999). In Falls City, Brandon starts a relationship with Lana Tisdel, and she suddenly reveals the truth due to having to bail him out of women’s prison. Lana tells Brandon that she will love him under any circumstances, but her friends humiliate Brandon, which later results in a gang rape. Brandon manages to escape from them, but the police officer does not offer him the necessary protection. As a result, the rapists find and kill Brandon in front of Lana and leave her alone with the corpse.
The film portrays the topic of gender roles with close attention to this phenomenon’s oppressive side, conflicts between the assigned role and a person’s self-image, and the punishment for the failure to conform. Being biologically female, the protagonist does not conform to the expectations of women linked with appearance and sexual behaviors, such as the willingness to highlight one’s femininity through body language and relevant clothing choices. Contrary to accepting the female gender role imposed on him, the character feels a strong connection to traditional masculinity. Based on Brandon’s behaviors, a strong desire to be tough and decisive rather than caring, the rejection of self-objectification, and being attracted to women rather than men contribute to this connection (Peirce, 1999). The character’s attempts to accept another role that he thinks suits him more are successful until it is found out that what his community sees as the biological premise for this role is missing. This is perceived as Brandon’s attack on the natural order of things and centuries-long social rules, resulting in a violent attempt to remind him of his “place” by means of rape.
Interestingly, when it comes to retaliation for the inability to conform to assigned gender roles, the movie’s depiction of reactions to non-conformity is aligned with recent research. In an analysis of correlations between personal characteristics, the acceptance of gender stereotypes, and attitudes to transgender people, Greenburg and Gaia (2019) demonstrate that male respondents are more likely to endorse traditional gender roles. The study also reports that female participants are more inclined toward associating non-conformity with biological reasons, which is inversely correlated with transphobia (Greenburg & Gaia, 2019). These results suggest that men, on average, are more sensitive to the “violations” of gender norms and roles distributed on the basis of one’s primary sex characteristics. The movie offers a similar perspective by showing that all instances of physical violence against Brandon are initiated by his male acquaintances (Peirce, 1999). From the offenders’ perspective, Brandon’s desire to fit into a masculine role and express himself freely is an attack on masculinity or an invitation to physical confrontation (Peirce, 1999). In contrast, most women in the movie display more empathy and acceptance even if they find Brandon’s secret shocking.
The film might impact the viewers’ behaviors in various ways, including inspiring more empathy for individuals who do not conform to norms associated with their biological sex. Brandon Teena’s actual story has facilitated the discussion of sexual minorities and hate crime laws in the U.S., thus taking the recognition of protected characteristics to the next level (Peirce, 1999). For the common audience, seeing that female characters with gender-typical behaviors, such as Lana, easily find common ground with Brandon illustrates the irrational nature of fear and hatred towards the expressions of non-conformity. The examples of violence, ranging from verbal humiliation to rape and homicide, produce a strong emotional impact, which could eventually promote the desire to support people who fail to meet gender role expectations. Therefore, the movie can act as a viable educational tool to illustrate the forms that the phobia of sexual minorities can take.
Aside from fostering the acceptance of diversity, the movie’s violent scenes and the real events behind them might promote more caution when sharing the details of one’s identity and perspectives on gender roles with others. Individuals that do not meet the cultural norms of heterosexuality and gender identity go through a series of stages when it comes to identity establishment. Some stages are centered on confusion and the consideration of the identity’s implications and consequences (Lehmiller, 2017). As Brandon’s story teaches, self-expression that challenges more conservative understandings of sex-based gender roles can be met with physical threats (Peirce, 1999). Despite some progress in minority protection, the mere existence of anti-LGBTQ groups calls for increases in self-care behaviors, including those pertaining to precautions in online communication.
Conclusion
Finally, the movie covers multiple themes pertaining to gender roles, such as their strictness, the punishment for rejecting the imposed role, and social barriers to free self-expression. Despite any attempts to destroy the concept of gender and behavioral expectations of men and women, sex-based social roles remain strong, sometimes leading to hate crimes. The film problematizes this excessive rigidity, illustrating that role-related choices should be respected.
References
Greenburg, J., & Gaia, A. C. (2019). Interpersonal contact, stereotype acceptance, gender role beliefs, causal attribution, and religiosity as predictors of attitudes toward transgender individuals. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 24(1), 18-32. Web.
Lehmiller, J. J. (2017). The psychology of human sexuality (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
Peirce, K. (1999). Boys don’t cry [Film]. Searchlight Pictures.