Vicissitudes Weekly

Transformation begins here. 

“Maybe you’re the animals, the perverts, teaching men that their dicks are their highest prize.” 

Kim Green’s Jahn from Vicissitudes

What does it really mean to be a “man?” For me, this question persists. 

We are living in a world strangled by a dangerously patriarchal perspective: The male phallus is the central indicator of manhood.  How can we build a world of men where strength, conscience and caring for others is part of the manhood schematic?  

This a time like no other, where truth and fairness are confounding and even debatable. Unimaginable acts of selfishness, deceit, greed and hatred are the new “manhood.” Much to my chagrin, millions have bought in. 

Vicissitudes’ male protagonist, Jahn, knows there is a better way for men and is in search of the day when men will emerge; owning a manhood that is deeply rooted in the capacity to love. 

The quote above is what Jahn thinks to himself as he sits in a tense meeting listening to a clueless discourse that is rooted in fear, insecurity and ignorance. The staff has been called to discuss the unsettling mandate that the fictional Holly Crest High School must offer a gender-neutral bathroom. The responses in the room shows how uneducated educators can be when it comes to trans acceptance. 

This scene from Vicissitudes is a snapshot of being trans, silenced and erased. At this point in his journey, Jahn is not out. Not being able to reveal himself leads to feelings of shame and the perpetuation of mainstream ignorance. This dilemma resides within all people who belong to communities on the fringes. Jahn knows he can never publicly rail against the “norm” and say what’s really on his mind. Unless he gets the courage to step into himself, his internalized resentment will only destroy him.

It is the gift of the trans experience that allows trans folk to understand the world from a complex perspective that makes their presence so necessary. As a man in-between two worlds, Jahn’s insight on issues of sexuality and manhood are worthy but his alone. 

Jahn’s internal conflict stems from his own need for a penis while being a man faced with the damaging impact of a phallus-obsessed culture. He symbolizes an emerging perspective; perhaps, society has it all wrong. Jahn asks us to consider if the core of a man’s identity is only his penis, doesn’t manhood become woefully whittled down, stealing a man’s ability to build depth and heartfulness? 

With mouths agape, outside the pages of Vicissitudes, we are all bearing witness to the mostly male chaos that ensues when oppressed communities rise, claiming their lives and their voices. Jahn’s unique perspective shines a light on those places where society resists, refusing to take the time to consider the needs and realities of those unlike themselves. 

Vicissitudes is a novel for a world in flux.  It gives a rare and up-close opportunity to become intimately involved with those who have been ignored for too long.

Love transforms, 

KG

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