Age Groups and the Lifecycle
Children (Ages 3-12). Gender labels are placed on children prior to and after birth as we are taught about gender binary in an “either/or” fashion (Janssen & Erickson-Schroth, 2013) during early years of development. For example, the newborn is either a boy or a girl and this predisposes children to gender specific ideologies. Gender revealing parties and baby showers are notorious for continuing traditional societal viewpoints of binary assumptions – girl or boy. Gender roles are established at an early age and children learn from their parents and caretakers of what is “right and wrong” in behaviors and preferences for specific genders. However, for children who are sexual minorities this can be a confusing
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With the combination of puberty, social media, peers, and trying to fit in, adolescents are challenged with growing issues of identity development. This is especially true for youth who identify as transgender Although there has been increasing research and awareness for teens who identify with LGB; there are limited research and education for those who identify as transgender. The process of finding one’s identity has implications for youth outcomes while dormant identity development may be associated with poorer adjustment later in life (Bregman, Malik, Page, Makynen, & Lindahl, 2012). Parental involvement in the process of gender identity and expression for adolescents has been a factor in the identity development of youth and teens. Bregman et al. (2012) suggests that how parents respond to their adolescent’s sexual minority status significantly influences the identity development in adolescent years into young adulthood. Parental responses and attitudes towards the youth’s sexual identity and expression is an imperative factor for adolescents. Adolescents who are rejected by their families because of their sexual minority status have found to be associated with an increased likelihood of having depression, substance use, unprotected sex, and suicidal ideation (Bregman et al., 2012; Ryan, Huebner, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2009).
In this essay, Erikson Identity Crisis theory and Marcia’s four stages of Identity Statuses demonstrates how adolescences analyze and make decisions about one’s identity. Many adolescences struggle with decisions about where they fit in. Also, in this essay I will explain how you know you are LGBTQIA and I will discuss why so many adolescence of LGBTQIA have a hard time fitting in with society. The intent of this essay is to discuss the problems of LGBTQIA adolescences and why the impact of LGBTQIA is mainly in adolescent ages and the discrimination based on sexual orientation & gender identity.
The assigned readings for this course have been extremely beneficial in helping me formed a foundation of understanding towards the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. Because of these readings I have increased my understanding of the many obstacles that individuals in this community must overcome; specifically the youth. LGBT individuals are often faced with a unique set of problems that clinical social workers should be aware of. Most times, this group of sexual minorities feels that they are being discriminated against by their friends, family, and the society as a whole (Bennett, 2013, p. 1). Unfortunately this feeling and thinking of alienation and discrimination subjects them to stress, anxiety and depression. All of which
The LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community has faces certain challenges within the heterosexual community, from homeless and ways in approaching accepting their sexuality without landing on the streets. The LGBT face a big discrimination and are if most certainly sometimes if not always dismissed by family, with such rejection many teens are kicked off to the curb and many times face mental and physical stains, which they often struggle with alone. (teens from
“I’ve already got one boy I’m supposed to call Heather instead of Mark and treat like a girl. Now there’s some other kid who says that she’s a boy, and wants to be called Michael! How am I supposed to teach when I’m having to keep track of all this shit?” This quote, from a veteran science teacher who became frustrated when I referred to a transgender male student by his appropriate name and pronouns during a department meeting, is reflective of the negative teacher interactions experienced daily by the estimated 150,000 transgender students currently enrolled in America’s schools (GLSEN, 2017). As United States (US) has become a more welcoming place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) students, an increasing number of transgender youth have had the courage to come out at school. Unfortunately, these students are not yet being met with kindness nor understanding from their peers or teachers. In a 2015 survey of nearly 3,500 transgender students across the US, 75% of students reported feeling unsafe at school due to their gender expression (GLSEN, 2016a). This paper will explore how the current US political climate is shaping the experiences of transgender youth in US schools, and the steps that educators can take to make their schools more supportive for transgender students.
This paper will cover the topic of how commonly and in what form discrimination takes place against LGBTQ+ youths, and how that discrimination affects LGBTQ+ youths lives. The research question that will be answered in this paper is, how does discrimination affect LGBTQ+ youth? To be a part of the LGBTQ+ community, means that a person identifies or defines their gender and/or their sexuality as to be outside of the straight cisgender norms of society. The LGBTQ+ community is defined by the vast array of identities that fall within the umbrella of its acronym. There is no clear definition for any one facet of the LGBTQ+ community as most people see gender and sexual identity as fluid and self-determined. It is up to the person
Transgender students all across the United States are struggling as they try to fit in at their school. A “Transgender”, or “Trans” individual is someone “whose gender is different from the ones they were know as at birth. They may identify as male or female, or they feel that neither gender fits them” (“What Does Transgender Mean”). As transgender awareness is becoming more known to the public, their issues are becoming more and more obvious. Schools should put more effort into setting rules and adjusting the school environment so these students feel more accepted. With more and more transgender and gender-non conformist students “coming out”, it is becoming increasingly important that schools target their issues feeling accepted in their classrooms. Some believe, however, that this is not necessary and are against supporting transgender teenagers, but that is disrespecting a student’s beliefs and identity. Despite the feelings against transgender rights in a school place, transgender students should be recognized as their identified gender because of the excessive bullying they face, to help keep down transgender suicide rates, and to make bathrooms and locker rooms a more comfortable and safe environment.
While some argue that changing the age limit would be unfair and others argue that we should change the age to a different age. Even though many people say we should change the age to 25, I still insist that the the adult age, the drinking age, and enlisting in the military should be changed to 20. Raising the age to 20 will decrease the homeless population. It should be changed because you have two years to prepare and it would give them time to plan ahead. In addition, it gives your brain 2 more years of development. The age system that we have is confusing and should be
Rachel Riskind, Samantha L. Tornello, Brendan C. Younger and Charlotte J. Patterson, the authors of the article “Sexual Identity, Partner Gender, and Sexual Health Among Adolescent Girls in the United States” seek to establish a relation between adolescent girls’ sexual identity and the gender(s) which whom they reported having sexual intercourses (2011, p. 1957). Their study also aims to find a pattern between sexual identity and gender partners and their level of sexual risk and reproductive outcomes (Riskind, Tornello, Younger & Patterson, 2011, p. 1957). The authors’ hypotheses are that sexual minority will have higher sexual risk but lower reproductive outcome than heterosexual adolescent, and that partner gender will have a bigger influence
Often parents will consciously influence their children on gender roles based on social accountability and how they constructed their own gender identities to make themselves more socially acceptable. Children themselves play an active role in gender identity construction usually by the time they reached two or three years old. From that point on, they will use their gender identity to selectively choose whichever activity that is consistent with this identity. This concept is referred to as the gender schema theory. Equally important are the influences siblings may have on each other. Birth order seems to influence gender identities, with the younger siblings modeling older sibling’s gendered
Individuals who identify as transgender do not fit the gender roles that were assigned to them at birth through the identification of their genitalia. Gender identity has been defined as “One's internal, deeply held sense of one's gender” (GLADD online). As transgender young adults begin addressing and demonstrating their true gender, their
The goal of the researcher of gender identity is to identify where and when identity is developed, furthermore it will explore how this plays a role when working with transgender adults.
The acronym LGBT is often used to describe the collective group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Previous studies, however, documented that the development of sexual orientation for males and females is quite different (Saewyc, 2011). Therefore, this paper will focus primarily on the experience of males even though female and transgender adolescents may have similar experiences. Today, research shows adolescents question their sexuality at an earlier age than previously thought (Saewyc, 2011). Regardless of when a young male begins to explore his sexuality, a lack of friend and family support, bullying, and homelessness are some factors, which could negatively affect the health trajectory of gay teens (Collier, Bos, & Sandfort, 2013; Hatzenbuehler, 2011; Mitchell, Ybarra, & Korchmaros, 2013; Rosario, Schrimshaw, & Hunter, 2012).
Sex role stereotyping and gender bias permeate everyday life. Children learn about sex roles very early in their lives, probably before they are 18 months old, certainly long before they enter school.(Howe, 1). The behaviors that form these sex roles often go unnoticed but their effect is immeasurable. Simple behaviors like: the color coding of infants (blue & pink), the toys children are given, the adjectives used to describe infants (boys: handsome, big, strong; girls: sweet, pretty, precious), and the way we speak to and hold them are but a few of the ways the sex roles are introduced. These behaviors provide the basis for the sex roles and future encouragement from parents and teachers only reinforce the sex roles.
Throughout the Human Behavior and the Social Environment course, we have encompassed the many stages of the life cycle process. Now that I am twenty two years old, I found the early adulthood stage to be the most influential, and the most sensible one to relate to given the point that I am at in my life. More importantly, I decided to research and apply this life cycle stage to a variety of milestones, experienced by my interviewee, Chelsie. Living just houses apart, being raised by single fathers, Chelsie and I found that we had many things in common. We have remained friends since we were children, and have only grown to be closer into our early adulthood years.
“It’s a girl!” or “It’s a boy!” is typically the first thing parents hear after the birth of a child. This simple statement of fact sets the groundwork for every interaction they will have with their daughter or son, and for every experience that child will have throughout her or his life. Gender identity—the private experience of being female or male—forms a core part of one’s sense of self (Welker). The nature of this private experience is enormously influenced by what we are taught it means to be a girl or a boy, and these lessons are typically fraught with instances of gender bias—what Beverly Stitt, author of Building Gender Fairness in Schools, defines as “a set of beliefs