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CNN Photos: Transgender in a male-or-female world
Photographer, Raymond McCrea Jones: “There’s not always a black and white, there’s not always a male or female."
February 28th, 2012
12:10 PM ET

CNN Photos: Transgender in a male-or-female world

By Brett Roegiers, CNN

(CNN) - Chicago, a struggling New York musician in his mid-30s, was born female but now embraces the trans label. Since he was a teenager, he has been searching for his place in a world that wants people to be strictly male or female.

As part of his gender transition, Chicago started taking testosterone injections in 2009. Around that time, photographer Raymond McCrea Jones began to document his journey.

“Chicago was really on board from the beginning because he sees this as a way to get his story out,” Jones said. “As you can imagine, growing up in Middle America in the Midwest, going to high school and struggling with your gender is not an easy thing.”

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  1. Drew

    Transgender people should be given therapy to help them accept what they truly are. I am a white guy but if I told someone, "You know, I feel as if I was really supposed to look black." People would think I was ridiculous. Then, if I went through with things that adjusted my Caucasian features to look more African, people would really think I am nuts... yet society is supposed to accept transgender is not a disorder and needs to be embraced. I am not against people living how they want to live but I am against being told what is and isn't normal.

    March 15, 2012 at 12:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • john

      But if you were born with a skin pigmentation, all blotchy, half white and half black, it would seem reasonable for you to seek a way to make it one way or the other...and it's also pretty shallow of you to imply people casually 'feel' gay or transgender. Or did you mean you might 'feel' culturally black as a white person? Because that happens, in both directions all the time, but again you're just choosing to ignore the reality of people's biology.

      Furthermore, what do you mean you are against being told what is normal? It seems like an inane concern or statement. I guess you don't like math?

      March 15, 2012 at 7:36 pm | Report abuse |