Mercedes Newbiggin

 « 

 »

Mercedes Newbiggin: Her Last Bout as Rob

August 5, 2009 by Matt Kailey

Mercedes NewbigginTo say that Mercedes Newbiggin is “in the news” is a little bit of an understatement.

A Google search for either Rob Newbiggin (her current name) or Mercedes Newbiggin brings up pages and pages of newspaper stories, blogs posts, twitter posts, and hundreds of other references to her situation.

Some are positive, some are negative, and some are just curious and questioning. With all the information that is out there about gender identity, transgender people, and transsexual people, the Internet universe is still abuzz when someone of note announces a gender transition.

I can’t say that I’m any different — I have quite a long post and a slideshow of photos at Examiner.com, and I’m writing this. But even so, I can’t help but feel that people have gotten a little carried away.

I think the thing that has everyone so abuzz is that Rob Newbiggin is a boxer, and although there are plenty of female boxers in the world, the sport still has a solid foothold in male-only territory — and in the concept of uber-masculinity. That’s not sweat they’re wiping off that guy’s forehead — he’s dripping testosterone! So it’s a huge surprise to (almost) everyone when someone with such a “masculine” persona comes out.

Trans people know that a person’s masculinity or femininity prior to transition has nothing to do with that person’s gender identity. A boxer coming out as trans is about as much of a surprise to us as Newt Gingrich disagreeing with President Obama.

But the rest of the world just doesn’t get it. Rob Newbiggin, who will fight for the last time as male on August 14, is in for a tough bout that night — even if he wins, I have concerns about how kind the audience and the media will be to him.

As for Mercedes, I have been in communication with her, and I wish her all the luck in the world. It will not always be easy — and already being a public figure will make it that much more difficult. She has a public past to contend with, and it will be a while before that goes away.

But she’ll be okay — she’s a fighter. And aren’t we all?

(Photo: Mercedes Newbiggin)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

More Than Woman

Image
 More than a woman Dr Suporn Watanyusakul shows patient Olivia Thomas her new vagina after gender reassignment surgery at a hospital in Chonburi, near Bangkok, Thailand. Olivia Thomas, 38, started to take hormones on November 20, 2009. When Olivia was still living as a man he was married with Andrea and he had a daughter. “I knew I was different from a very early age, around age 9. I believed doctors had surgically given me the wrong parts at birth. However, as I was told I was a boy by my parents, that is what I believed. As a teenager, I started dressing in women's clothes and wondered what it would be like to have a female body and breasts. I repressed these thoughts and feelings through my twenties, and it wasn't until I was nearly thirty that I realized I was transgender. I was married at that time and had a newly born daughter. I then started my transition in earnest, going through the process of coming out to family, then friends, then my work. I found acceptance from ma...
Read more

Brian get Breast Implants

Image
The retired geography teacher says he carried out his lifelong dream. He said: "I experienced the joy of going shopping for my first bras, and I love the feeling of wearing sexy lingerie." Brian thanked the surgeon – who is an expert in transgender work – adding, "I feel more alive now than I ever had. I I no longer have to hide my true feelings - but I have to Shave my very breast! "Extreme Surgery will air in February, on Channel 4.  
Read more

Ady Del Valle

Image
  Ady is a big, tall, plus, Latinx/Puerto Rican model. – he says.  I’ve been modeling for over 5 years and was born and raised in Boston. I am persistent, ambitious and definitely a hard worker.  I want to make a difference in the industry by breaking beauty standards and stereotypes.
Read more