Gender Bending in the Land of Oz

This perennial favorite on my blog dates back to the beginning: late 2006. At first, I thought the term “Gender Bending” must be out-moded. But it’s not. Comics, graphic novels, anime, manga—gender bending is popular in print. It will never go out of style in real life—I never imagined that; I merely thought it had acquired a cris new name. Used to be, when I worked at Housing Works Used Book Café , I heard it every day. But that’s been awhile.

My New Year’s resolution this year does not rest on the preposterous hope of becoming a better or even a more tolerable person. This year I’m advertising my resolution as a prod to keep me searching for a program that fits my schedule: I’m going to volunteer to tutor someone—anyone—in reading.

Years ago, I watched two old people giggling in the library with such delight that I hid behind a bookcase and watched. Both men looked old and raggedy but one was helping the other parse “Calvin and Hobbes.” Every time the tooth-poor student finished an entry, the two of them cracked up. I might not find anything that much fun, but it’s something I do know how to do—read, that is—and I tutored children before I had my own, which is when I learned how many children’s books are works of genius.

With this in mind, I give you young Tip, illustrated by John R. Neil as he appeared in The Land of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum in 1902 following a barrage of pleas from children and school teachers for a sequel to “The Wizard of Oz.”

An orphan boy, Tip was raised by an evil sorceress, Mombi. In Oz Tip becomes close friends with the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Glinda the Good Witch, and new characters like Pumpkinhead and the Saw Horse.

In time, Glinda and Tip’s retinue of friends realize the sorceress Mombi has cast an evil spell upon him in order to steal the child’s proper birth right. Mombi has changed Tip from the girl he was at birth into the boy Tip. The Tin Man is elected to break the news to Tip that in truth he is the girl Princess Ozma.

 In this illustration (above), the Tin Man has just given Tip the perplexing news that his boyhood is  officially over and he should prepare to be transformed.

The glorious Princess Ozma will rule Oz once the boy-to-girl transformation succeeds. Of course, it does succeed and Princess Ozma is radiant and magical.

I find the following exchange absolutely enchanting:

“Tip’s old comrades stared in wonder...and then every head bent in honest admiration of  the  lovely Princess Ozma. The girl turned to her old friends. Speaking the words with sweet  diffidence, she said, ‘I hope none of you will care less for me than you did before. I’m just the same Tip, you know; only—only—’

“‘Only you’re different,’ said the Pumpkinhead; and everyone thought it was the wisest speech he had ever made.”