Was Michael Jackson Trans?

In death, Michael Jackson is proving just as enigmatic as he was alive. His death seems to have raised more questions than answers: What caused his death? Who will get custody of his children?  Would the fifty-year-old Jackson have made it through the 50 concerts of his “This is It” tour?  It seems fitting that the King of Pop has left us questioning even what the little we thought we knew about him; after all, in life he was as much a conundrum as a superstar.  For the queer community, one of the biggest questions remains, was he one of us?  Was Jackson gay?  Was he transgender?

In life, some people were so confused by Jackson’s appearance and gender presentation they turned to online answer sites, asking, “What Was Michael Jackson’s Gender?”  That WikiAnswers offered, “Male,” while the most popular Yahoo answer suggested, “Eunuch,” also reveals the lack of agreement on the subject.

Especially in the 1980s, Jackson performed masculinity like any good drag king; in the over-the-top way only someone who doesn’t—and maybe even can’t—embody those stereotypes can.  On stage, the skinny little boy became a crotch-grabbing parody of hyper masculinity, taking on gang warfare (in Beat It) and the kind of deadbeat baby-daddy seen on daytime talk shows claiming, “The kid’s not mine!” (Billie Jean).

With tight lips loosened by his untimely death, we’re discovering there might be more truth in that early proclamation than previously thought. Recently reports have surfaced that Jackson isn’t the biological father of any of his three children. 

While some trans men and women do start out in the drag world, I’m not suggesting Michael was trans because of his drag performances.  Most trans people find the need to embody their preferred genders, not just perform them.  No, I’m saying Jackson’s femininity was authentic while his masculinity remained illusionary and tenuous.

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