Actor Scott Turner Schofield says we live in a society that's in transition when it comes to different ways to express gender. The traditional, binary, male-female paradigm doesn't work for everyone. Schofield will take about the issue during this year's "Respecting Differences" event in Kalamazoo on Wednesday, April 12.
Schofield, who is transgender, says his interest in the field of gender inclusion is personal. And he says it started early when, as a teenager, he witnessed a political battle in North Carolina over funding for local arts programs that some said promoted a "homosexual agenda." That campaign ultimately backfired. But Schofield says it left him with a lasting concern about how society can marginalize people like himself who express gender in different ways.
His activism and career have combined in interesting ways. Schofield was the first openly transgender actor to appear on a daytime TV drama (The Bold and the Beautiful on CBS) playing a trans character. He also created the one-person show called Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps that delves into his own transition, and his life afterwards.
Schofield says the high rate of suicide among young people struggling with gender identity shows the need for change. He admits that that change can be difficult. His presentation in Kalamazoo is designed to be non-confrontational and to help people interact with and respect people who are transgender or who prefer not to be identified as either male or female.
Schofield says discomfort and fear is OK. But he says being mean about it is not.
The "Respecting Differences" sessions are free and open to the public. They begin at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, at Miller Auditorium.
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