Comments on: Portraits of Albanian transgender elders

By: Xhoni

Xhoni — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 22:49:04 +0000

I worked in Albania for several years, including a bit in that part of the north where the few Burnesha lived. Interestingly enough, burnesh is a feminized version of the word burre, which means man (or husband). In the part of central Albania where I lived, where you would not find burnesha, the term nonetheless is sometimes used as a compliment meaning “strong woman.”

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:34:09 +0000

Very interesting post. It’s why stories set in the past often better explore themes that remain issues in the present. This could go various directions but obviously in the past there was more of a reason for a woman to abandon her gender just to seek equality of treatment…but of course how much else was sacrificed in that choice? The issue of equality among genders (and other arbitrary labels) remains today, yet can be more powerfully explored when the times were even harsher.

By: Ari

Ari — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 05:22:33 +0000

I had heard of this along time ago and have though about the subject of forced transgender dis-morphia. It is quite betraying to men with low self-esteem to realize that there is nothing special or significant about being born male. That it is just a perceived value of self worth and has nothing to do with who or what you are as a person.