12 is such an interesting number, don't you think? All kinds of things come in 12s: eggs, months of the year, days of Christmas, hours on the clock, beer. Heck, even the apostles came in a 12 pack! 12×12 is called a gross. Why is that? Drink 144 beers and you will find out!
I don't want to talk about eggs or beer. But I do want to talk about religion. That's right, the place of worship from whence our values come… The movies! Today's topic is inspired by the movies. Specifically, the significance of the number for 12 for transsexuals when it comes to the movies. No, I'm not talking about "Twelve Angry Men." No, that one is perhaps better left to the cross-dressers. I'm talking about a movie that has a strange and curious draw for trans women – yet which on the surface appears to be a very macho film.
Did you guess? It's "The Dirty Dozen"! The ultimate transsexual analogy!
WHAT, you ask? THE DIRTY DOZEN?? How could that possibly be?
What a great question!
First, let's mention some of the grand themes touched upon in this movie.
Living for death. The dirty dozen are 12 prisoners who have been mostly condemned. They sit waiting for life to end. Hopeless and helpless. (Hmmm. Familiar…)
The inconceivable quest that no one thinks possible. (The taking of the senior officer retreat.). And a savior– in the form of Major Reisman – who can see the possibilities that no one else can. (Harry Benjamin anyone?)
"The test." This consists of a challenging war games exercise to prove they will be able to handle the real deal. (RLE anyone?) You get bonus points if you recognized the therapist role in Maj. Armbruster.
And, of course, salvation after the trial. How indicative is it that only one of the dozen who survives aside from someone representing the postop mentor (Reisman) and the gatekeeper (Sgt. Bowren) - is Wladislaw – the only one that was once an officer! Moreover, he was the only one that actually didn't commit a real crime! Shades of the elite, hierarchical, true transsexual! Not that there is any such thing, of course ...
But what of the others, you ask? Well, as much as I hate being the bearer of bad news, this is not a happy movie for those on the TG spectrum. You see, every last one of them dies on the way to salvation (transition). So sad.
One barely survives been selected! "Hi my name is…). YOU'RE OUT!
Another dies parachuting in… First day of RLE.
Maggot is shot by Wladislaw. Can't have any of those fetish transitioners around now, can we?
Pinkley dies after coming out too early. I think he was a CD ... Remember what he focused on and what he said when inspecting Col Breed's troops? "They're pretty, colonel ... but can they fight?" The clothes, always the clothes!
Jefferson dies of overconfidence, thinking that he can overcome his problems by hitting them at a dead run. He ran. He died. Live by T, die by T.
Two die when they are shot up trying to escape in a boat! I'm not sure what kind of journey they thought they were on… though the word "cruising" comes to mind…
Some, like Posey, go down fighting bravely, but go down they do. Personally, I don't think Posey was going to pass anyway. I mean, they say you can overcome masculine features, but holy shit!
And then there's Franko. The perennial non-finisher, he dies on the brink of success. As the goal of taking the retreat has technically been accomplished by that point, I take this one as indicative that Franko didn't survive postop recovery. But he probably forged his letters anyway.
So you see, on deconstructing this film, that it's quite illustrative to the transsexual who knows what they are looking at. Those that shouldn't be on the path really should watch the film a few times to get a really good feel for what's going to happen to them should they start transition. And those who are transsexual will see they have a chance ... after being beat bloody and shot, of course.
Funny how 11 out of 12 people asked say they would transition in a heartbeat. They need, as the Man in Black said, to get used to disappointment!
Quite the chick flick!
Originally Posted by LeaP
Rachel Smith May 2017
