MovieChat Forums > Second Serve (1986) Discussion > The Alleged Boyfriend

The Alleged Boyfriend

posted 14 years ago by BugisStreetAnnie
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I do admire Renee Richards, but I have a few problems with some of the things she claimed happened to her. In the movie (as well as in the book), Renee has a relationship with a man after her surgery who doesn't know about her past (supposedly). Was anyone else skeptical about this? Everything I've ever read they have never identified this man, even though Renee became tabloid news right at the beginning of this relationship. Even with world-renowned transsexual, Christine Jorgensen, several of the men she was involved with whose names are now public knowledge. Easy to look up online.

Plus, and not to seem cruel, but another problem with this story - as a reviewer on this site also points out - Renee was not exactly that convincing as a woman. It reminds me of those Jerry Springer episodes where the male guests claim not to know his girlfriend is, SURPRISE!, a dude, when she's built like a linebacker. Wouldn't this man have been suspicious? WHy did he even bother to return after seeing Renee being 'outed' on the news as a biological male? If I recall correctly, Renee writes in her book that this incident happened exactly as played out in the movie. This was not a fabricated scene for dramatic effect.

[–] gothbreed 10 years ago

If one read Harry Benjamin's groundbreaking book on transsexualism, The Transsexual Phenomenon from 1966, Mr. Benjamin tells about several of the patients that he had met during his work, that had transitioned into women.
One of those were very "blokey" looking after transition, and had both beard shadow, tattoos and a masculine physique. Something which of course also resulted in her being arrested for "female impersonation" which was an offence against the law back then. However, after she had stripped down naked in custody, revealing an "obviously female anatomy" the officers made the- to them - logical conclusion that they had made "a terrible mistake" for believing her to be a man, deeply apologizing for the arrest. In fact, one of the officers even bought her out for dinner as a make-up.

So, the answer is that back in the days when transsexualism was yet not that well known as it is today, transsexuals that would not have have passed today could pass back then as long as they had "obvious" female anatomical characteristics.
Even further back in time, it was very often even enough with merely dressing as a female to pass, regardless of apparence.

That is how simple it is really.

That being said, Renée nevertheless turned out quite okay, I think.

As for why her boyfriend returned after her having been outed, it was very obviously because he was upset and wanted to confront her in person, face to face. As you might recall, he angrily asked; "Why didn't you tell me?!", grabbing her arm. So, he, at first, logically wanted to confront her but very soon found that he could not remain angry at her - after all he had cared for her very much, also proven by the fact that he furiously defended her against the TV crew when arriving to find them harassing her.

[–] BugisStreetAnnie 10 years ago

Oh yeah I think I remember reading that story in the TS Phenomenon. It was so long ago that I don't remember much about it.

It's very strange because in the documentary 'Renee' they mentioned how when she moved to California several of her old friends lived there, and then others from New York would come to visit her. I don't think all of them referred to her as a female, so I'm not sure where this boyfriend was then. Maybe he was never around, but they never mentioned him in the documentary.

Yes she does seem like a strong person who is doing well.