May 2017 | Volume 95, Issue IX | Honolulu, Hawai‘i | A Voice for Students Since 1923
Opposite Sides of the Sexual Spectrum
‘Iolani students share their experiences and beliefs concerning gender identity, sexual orientation, and religion
By Amy Nakamura ’17 & Isabella Chang ’18
The Power of Pronouns
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abs Caps ’17 was born on Boys’ Day. Eighteen years later, this coincidental holiday-birthday match-up became appropriately fitting, as Caps came out as transgender this February. The decision came after a tumultuous junior year, when he constantly questioned his gender and sexuality while trying to balance the pressures of school and social life. The transition into being a male began with a haircut. “People tried to get me to get pixie cuts. I didn’t want that. I’d be looking up pictures of guys haircuts cause
school’s history to wear a suit to Graduation. However, other difficulties of being transgender have followed Caps into some of the simplest situations. “I mean, no one’s yelled at me in the streets or anything, but I think it’s important for people to understand that there are a lot of practical difficulties when you’re trans,” Caps explained. The most prominent predicament has been figuring out which bathroom to use. At ‘Iolani, Caps uses the women’s restroom; however, he often goes to the men’s in public. “I’ve had several instances where women have either said, ‘Oh, wrong
transgender identity, I say, ‘It’s not about what I think, it’s about what God thinks,’” said Dunn. Growing up in a Christian home did not mean that she blindly accepted the Christian faith. After taking time to read and grow in her knowledge of the Bible, she came to better understand Matthew 19:4-6, “...at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female. For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’” Therefore, she believes God intended male and female to be together. Karissa also understands that not everyone shares the same faith
We asked each participant to share adjectives that they use to describe their sexuality, gender, religious affiliation, politicial affiliation, and personality. that’s what I wanted,” said Caps. From there, he began to feel uncomfortable in his body, and started to lean more towards men’s clothing and ultimately a male lifestyle. When Caps cut his hair and began to ask his family, friends, and teachers to start referring to him with male pronouns, the whirlwind of stress and confusion that came with his prenotions did not stop. While he has received support from the school and his peers, Caps has faced some awkward situations since coming out as transgender. When he was auditioning for the spring musical, “Curtains,” Caps was hoping for a male role. However, he was simultaneously having meetings with the school’s administration about wearing a suit to Graduation. This made Caps uneasy about whether or not the school would want to put him in the spotlight as male at a school-sanctioned event just yet. “I knew that I wanted to be in a male role, but I think because of the stuff that was going on with the suit, I had it in my head that the school wouldn’t want me to be out in front of people presenting the way that I do. I think [being casted in a male role] was just a good affirmation for me to know that, ‘Oh, this is OK,’” said Caps. “The school’s with me. They’re gonna be OK with this.” Along with receiving the role of the sassy director Christopher Belling, Caps will be the first transgender student in the
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room,’ or physically tried to stop me,” he said. “It’s just a bit awkward. You don’t know what to do and you don’t want to make other people feel uncomfortable by your presence either.” He also mentioned that having gender-neutral bathrooms at ‘Iolani would have helped that aspect of the transition. Caps realizes that there are those who may not agree with how he has decided to live his life. “I think the most important thing is to keep an open mind and to look past anything anyone has told you,” said Caps. “If you’re a conservative student, it’s important to be compassionate, even though you don’t understand it. Just because you don’t understand something, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, that it’s not actually happening. Just because you haven’t had to question who you’re attracted to or question what your gender is, it’s still something that exists and something that is valid.”
Forging Her Faith
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that she and other evangelicals might have, but she firmly believes that “God loves all of us no matter our sexuality, gender identity, or stance on any issue.” As teenagers with young and ever-evolving perspectives, we all have things we want to change about ourselves at one point or another. After pondering a little while more, Dunn concluded, “Whatever side of the issue you stand on, I know God loves each and every one of us. Our actions and beliefs might not always align with the Bible, but the God of the Bible is one of love and mercy. Each of us has equal value, and no one is better than the other. In the end, life is a journey where we have to grow and figure things out as we go, and He welcomes us to walk this journey with Him so that we might get to know Him better with each passing day.”
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
arissa Dunn ’18 is a leader in ‘Iolani’s Revive Christian Fellowship (RCF) and a strong believer in Jesus Christ. Understanding that the topic of same sex love and transgender identities is a very sensitive issue, she has great respect for everyone’s perspectives and has nothing against anyone whose views differ from her own. “When people ask me if I support same sex love or
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