In Abby Ellin’s article, “For Transgender Women, An Extra Dose of Fear,” the experiences of Abbie Paige, along with a variety of other transgender women, are discussed. Most notably, it has been asserted that as a result of being transgender, not only do these individuals face an increased risk of being subject to physical danger, but they also must conform to what society deems as absolute. For example, even though certain individuals may not be cisgender, or have a gender identity that aligns with their sex, they still must use facilities which their surrounding society deems appropriate. Additionally, as a result of the lack of acceptance and equality in the political economical hemisphere, people who drift away from their assumed gender roles may face extreme difficulties when attempting to get healthcare services.
According to Ms. Paige, “Generally, people want to see you as male or female. Nothing in-between seems to be acceptable.” However, there are currently 63 genders which people around the world may identify as. Furthermore, according to Kinsey’s Seven point continuum, people may not even be solely homosexual or heterosexual. According to him, there is no clear-cut distinction between homosexuality and heterosexuality. This is because his scale relies on both sexual behavior and feelings of attraction. Therefore, even though one might think of themselves as heterosexual, they may be ambisexual (not solely homosexual or heterosexual). As seen in this aforementioned case, the society someone is placed in may heavily influence their identification. Additionally, there seems to be a lot of misinformation about biological sex. Although many people in western cultures will state or acknowledge the presence of two sexes, this is also not true. As a result of various hormone imbalances prior to birth, a person may have primary sex characteristics that do not fit into one of the two previously mentioned categories. These individuals are termed intersex, as a result of their incomplete sexual differentiations. Ultimately, there end up being six common karyotypes, with XX and XY being the most common.
Unfortunately, many people may not realize how gender identity differs from sex identity, as a result of
Regarding access to healthcare, transgender individuals often face the most obstructive barriers when attempting to receive care. Whether they are seeking access to hormones, therapy, general health services, reproductive healthcare, or specialty healthcare, transgender patients typically cannot get what they need without jumping through many hoops or hiding their identities. This occurs especially so in cases of intersecting identities -- where an individual is not just transgender, but is transgender and a person of color, disabled, gay, indigenous, undocumented, poor, etc. These intersecting identities interact in multifaceted ways to produce even more barriers for trans individuals seeking healthcare due to healthcare provider bias, insurance requirements, and doctors’ general unwillingness to help coupled with inaccessibility founded on racism, transphobia, homophobia, mental illness stigmatization, etc.
This is an important distinction because attempted understanding of gender identity can be interfered with stereotypes of sexual orientation. For example, those outside the gender binary may first define as and fit into the gay or lesbian community because of their interest in playing princesses or trucks, anything not expected to fit into their gender, before realizing they are transgender or nonbinary individuals due to social expectations of how they should act being inconsistent with their gender expression (Understanding The Social). It is important to define the contrast among sex and sexual orientation with gender to understand its definition, and what influences it.
Of the study’s 25 participants, 20 were female-to-male. The authors determined the main problem for the participants was the struggle to find transgender-sensitive health care. The subjects described discrimination by healthcare systems, lack of knowledge and hostility by providers, and lack of health insurance to cover transgender-specific healthcare needs. Some of the FtM participants who had problems with pelvic pain, abnormal uterine bleeding, and a history of abnormal Pap tests kept their gender as female on their insurance so they could still get the care they needed. Using a national cross-sectional survey data set, Shires and Jaffee (2015) reported similar findings. Of the 1,711 FtM participants included in this study, 41.8 percent reported verbal harassment, physical assault, or denial of equal treatment in a doctor’s office or
Bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, asexual; these are all examples of different sexualities, and identities. One of the biggest problems with society today is that many people are resistant, sometimes violent, towards the unknown. People identify in many different ways, as many different things. Some ways of life do not allow a lifestyle straying from straight men, and straight women; being taught this from a young age for an entire lifetime will strike fear and hatred into the hearts of those who encounter otherwise. Other cultures, such as the Navajo people, celebrate these differences with love and overwhelming support. Individuals portraying both as their given sex at birth, and as the opposite sex (cross-dressing, referring to themselves with a name generally given to the opposite sex, using different pronouns, etc.) are given special titles (Two
“There is an undeniable epidemic of fatal violence against transgender and gender non-confirming women, specifically transgender women of color in the United States…” The topic of transgender women of color becoming countless victims in our country is a travesty. Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in general are at high risk for violent acts to befall them. The information that follows will be specifically focusing on transgender women of color in the United States.
Being accepted as a transgender in today's society is not only a continued struggle but it has also become another defining statistic that continue to raise hate crime rates nationwide. The excitement and bold move granted by the government to pass a law that allowed individuals of the same sex to be married appeared to break through needed to secure gay and lesbians place in the world. With this life changing event, the hinges on the revolving door appeared to strong enough for the LGBT(Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender) to conquer another hidden secret; life as a transgender.
Coming out as a transgender, identifying with a gender expression that differs from the assigned sex, has proven to be quite difficult through the ages. While the acceptance of transgender people has grown significantly higher throughout the years, people’s stance on them are still quite divided, and the uphill battle for transgender rights has proven this. Just giving transgenders the right to simply go to the bathroom they identify with has shown to be controversial according to the TIME cover Battle of the Bathroom. The TIME magazine makes sure to note the problem defiantly “far more than public facilities” (Scherer par. 9). Transgender rights are a problem that Jamison Green, president for World Professional Association for Transgender Health, thoroughly addresses in a report written by Alan Greenblatt for CQ Researcher. Jamison Green’s specific purpose in that report is to justify why transgender people deserve basic human rights like everybody else, as shown in society, through his use of facts, qualifiers, figurative language, counterarguments, and appeals to logic and values.
However, many people whose “appearance or behavior is gender nonconforming will identify as a transgender person” (APA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office). There are many different types of transgender as well. People who identify as other than transgender usually self-identify as genderqueer, genderfluid, “androgynous, multigendered, gender nonconforming, third gender, and two-spirit” (APA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office). The meanings of these labels vary from individual to individual. Gender identity is a very personal subject, shaped by and individual’s experiences and values. Gender variance can be seen on a spectrum, varying between cross-dressing individuals who are comfortable with their biological sex, to individuals who experience extreme dysphoria when dealing with the conflict between their gender and sex. There is not yet a determined cause for the reason people identify as transgender. Scientists have reasoned that “genetic influences and prenatal hormone levels, early experiences, and experiences later in adolescence or adulthood” likely contribute, but are not the sole causes (APA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office). Lack of research into the psychology of gender variance is likely due to the social stigma attached to people whose identities fall outside the socially accepted gender
The healthcare needs of the transgender community are complex and as such they face many obstacles in finding and receiving quality medical care. A transgender individual is someone who identifies with a sex different from the one assigned to them at birth. How an individual defines their sexual orientation and gender identity can cause significant clinical, administrative, and financial difficulties when seeking healthcare services. The article “Transgender patients need more access to competent, compassionate care” by Debra Beaulieu-Volk addresses some of the challenges faced by this community and offers suggestions to the healthcare professionals on improving transgender patient care.
Being transgender is where one’s gender identity does not actually reflect their actual sex (Goldberg, 2014). A transgender individual encounters discrimination, as to many it is a confusing behavior that is perpetrated by society, and the media. There are concerns of ethics, as well as concerns about society and how they are affected by the changes being implemented to accommodate those that are transgender. There is uproar within the walls of society when a transgender people express themselves and are hailed a hero. The transgender person often times suffers from more than just the discrimination against their identity; it is said that often times various psychological influences are in play, and they need to be dealt with in some cases to rid one of such feelings. Needless to say society has been placed in very delicate situations as not to call a transgender person transgendered. Transgender is an adjective, and not a noun, which seemingly exudes a sense of discrimination (“Human Rights Campaign,” 2011).
There are many misconceptions and surrounding what it means to be a transgendered person. Some may assume that transgendered people are just confused, that perhaps a “butch” woman got pushed over the edge – or the same for a flamboyant man. But this is not so, once you consider all the diversity of trans people as a whole – there are feminine transgender men, as are there masculine transgender women. The stereotype for trans men or women, as it were, is usually highly inaccurate. A transgendered person is simply someone whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional male or female gender. Over the year of 2012, over 221 trans people over the world were killed in violent and radical hate crimes. Over half of these
Throughout history, differing views on the equality of human rights and beliefs have often sparked highly volatile and deep-rooted conflicts. There are “those who support varying standards of human rights. Others believe that human rights by nature should be universal, and not dependent upon one’s gender or background. Also, there are those that consider both view points and advocate for a middle ground, which serves to accommodate varying beliefs, but still assert a certain degree of universality for human rights.” (Osaka, 2015) It is because of these differing viewpoints that the debate of sex and gender within our society has become an issue of conflict with human rights and standards. This commentary examines transgender rights within our
The social issue that I chose which affects society today is transgender inequality. These issues are more recently gaining attention and becoming a prevalent topic of inequality within our country. A transgender person is someone whose gender identity, gender expression or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth. As more and more transgender people share their stories in the media, the social problems that arise from these stories are discrimination within their everyday lives. They suffer from scrutiny and judgment from their peers, and thus many hide their gender identity from family and society. This social injustice can be as simple as a glance or staring, or offensive comments and questions to violent hate crimes. Transgender people are prone to violence and harassment, and often not feeling safe in any aspect of society. They are fired from jobs, denied medical insurance, and being murdered left and right solely for being transgender. “A staggering 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide compared to 1.6% of the general population, with rates rising for those who lost a job due to bias (55%), were harassed/bullied in school (51%), had low household income, or were the victim of physical assault (61%) or sexual assault (64%)” (National Center for Transgender Equality). The structure of this paper will consist of adding all the research that was gathered over the semester, news articles and peer
Throughout today’s society, there are multiple views and opinions on whether or not there are more than two genders or if gender is even just a social construct. Each person has their own individual preference on how they express their gender. Therefore, we can no longer assume what someone identifies as just by looking at them. Over the years I have learned more about gender expression and gender identity as I gained friends who were homosexual as well as transgender. I feel as if I was introduced to all of these ways of life at a young age, therefore I can, in some ways, teach those who are uneducated and do not know what to think. I have personally never really thought about the different gender identities I could label myself as but as of right now I identify as a cisgender female
There are distinct differences between Sex and Gender. Sex is divided up into two divisions, male or female, based upon their reproductive system. Gender is the notion set by society on what social behaviours are acceptable for males and females, for example the expectation that females are more caring or nurturing than men. Gender can be further divided into two subcategorise: identity and stereotype. Gender identity is the concept that your sex and gender do not have to be the same but can different, i.e. a male at birth can identify as a female. These notions of acceptable behaviour set by society create gender stereotypes for both male and female, which can cause a person to reject their gender identity if they do not conform these gender stereotypes.