From CBS News · · 1m 10s
Sedaris clears the air on prostate exams
A dinner conversation about a friend's medical appointment becomes a lesson in assumptions and identity.
In brief
A dinner conversation about a friend's medical appointment becomes a lesson in assumptions and identity. David Sedaris recounts how a misunderstanding about his friend Cristina's scheduled prostate exam led him to reflect on trans identity and his own tokenistic thinking. Originally reported by CBS News.
A dinner announcement
At dinner, Sedaris's friend Cristina announced she was scheduled for a prostate exam on Tuesday. The men at the table groaned, knowing how uncomfortable and invasive the procedure would be.
A conversation about trans bodies
Months earlier, Sedaris's boyfriend Hugh had questioned the phrase people with prostate cancer. Sedaris explained that trans women can have prostates too, leading Hugh to assume transition meant losing one.
“Trans women can have it, too.”
Sedaris's uncomfortable realization
Sedaris felt grateful to have a trans friend he could reference at gatherings, then recognized this as tokenism. He wrestled with using Cristina as a credential, even considering adding she was from the Philippines.
The correction
The next morning, Cristina emailed to say her mistake: the Tuesday appointment was not a prostate exam but a colonoscopy. Sedaris wrote back that he had figured that's what she meant.
“My mistake! It's not a prostate exam I have on Tuesday. It's a colonoscopy.”
The big picture
David Sedaris recounts how a misunderstanding about his friend Cristina's scheduled prostate exam led him to reflect on trans identity and his own tokenistic thinking.
