Disparities in Transgender Population

In Susan Stryker’s (De)Subjugated Knowledges, she culminates a history of academic attention to transgender studies; tracking the field’s movement from abnormal psychology to its contemporary form of self-analysis and discourse (by which I mean that rather than being discussed by those outside of the trans community, transgender voices are now leading their own academic discussions). At a basic level, Stryker defines transgender studies as that which:

Scholars have been critical of the medical establishment’s and state’s involvement in constructing and policing of transgender identity. These kinds of pressing issues have occupied the small existing literature. There is not much information and studying what is being done on transgender in traditional areas, family studies research, such as their dating behavior and formation of intimate relationships in adulthood. There is little research on the issues around being parents, their children’s experiences with having transgendered parents, as well as relationships in the family as a whole, and relationships in work and school.

Transgender is a metaphorical umbrella term that covers a person whose self-identification, anatomy, appearance, manner, and/or expression is different from the sex assigned to them at birth and does not fit with societies interpretation for the norm of gender roles. Included in the transgender umbrella are transsexual people, non-binary gender identities, and cross-dressing (LGBT Youth, 2017). Transgender individuals are often the target of discrimination, injustice and social stigma that can lead to negative health outcomes.

Fifty years ago, nobody could ever have imagined how widely accepted transgender individuals would be in modern times. Countries all around the world had only ever known about the social distinction between men and women, which is known as ‘masculinity vs. Femininity’. However, now it is much more complex than that; as transgender and gender confused individuals are more widely accepted, it has become more of a case of sex vs. gender. “Sex is the biologically based distinction between men and women centring on sexual organs, while gender is the social and cultural rendering of masculinity and femininity.” (Oakley, 1972) And even though transgenders are accepted into society they still face inequalities such as not being accepted into a particular community, ostracised by families and friends,

Kidd and Witten define the term transgender vaguely, stating it “describe[s] people who transcend the conventional boundaries of gender, irrespective of physical status or sexual orientation” (Kidd & Witten, 2007, p. 36). This term is a reference for the ‘other gender’ that is not particularly male or female. Currently, within the American society, there is a growing awareness of individuals who are transgender. Much of this awareness comes from LGBT movements and

In a world moving advancing with near instantaneous publication worldwide the fringe edges of society have become more visible. One group of people that has had the spotlight shined on them is those suffering from gender dysphoria–persons who are not comfortable living in the bodies that they are born with and are often referred to as transsexual. As of 2010, there was an estimated population of less than 1,000 of these fringe members of our society incarcerated in state and federal facilities. (Brown)

Transgender inclusive healthcare has been a hot debate topic over the last couple of years throughout the world. Transgender inclusive healthcare is healthcare that provides covering for counseling, hormone replacement therapy, and gender confirmation surgeries. There are different ways for individuals, as well as groups, to move this discussion forward and make real change happen. This piece will look at three different feminist groups and how they would approach making transgender inclusive healthcare available for people. The Marxist feminists who believe capitalism is the key, radical feminists who believe a complete overhaul of the current societal norms is necessary, and lastly the liberal feminists who believe in the individualistic approach to issues.

Transsexuals rank lowest in overall wellbeing (Gates). SIRS researcher writes, “The American Psychiatric Association uses the term ‘gender dysphonia’ as the medical diagnosis for people who feel their birth-assigned sex and their gender identity do not match.” Civilians need a better understanding that transgender people need better protection. People against transsexuals believe that transgender are “ghastly” and are having an “identity crisis.” Transsexuals need protection in the workplace, public facilities, and in athletics/sports.

Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People, Version 7. (2011). International Journal of Transgenderism, 13:165–232. Routledge. ISSN: 1553-2739 print / 1434-4599 online DOI: 10.1080/15532739.2011.700873

To really discuss the history of the transgender population, perhaps first it is important to define what exactly ‘transgender’ is. In a poll conducted by transgender activist Leslie Feinberg, the transgender population seems to define itself as a group of individuals comprised of anyone “who challenges the boundaries of sex and gender”. The transgender umbrella, according to Feinberg, includes: transsexuals, transvestites, bigenders, drag queens, drag kings, cross-dressers, masculine women, feminine men, intersexuals, passing men and women, and androgynes. With this definition of transgender in mind, transgender individuals throughout history have served as both religious figures and leaders in the entertainment industry, playing key roles

In the past decade, the transgender community has grown an immense size, however with the growth in numbers, it leads to a tremendous amount of controversy and injustice surrounding the LGBT community. From the Human Rights Campaign resource article, “Understanding the Transgender Community,” the anonymous author goes over the background of transgender citizens in the United States and guides the reader through all the challenges they can potentially face in their everyday lives. The author’s purpose for this article was to give the audience, which is the general public and also the people who discriminate the LGBT community, an adequate amount of information about the social injustices the transgender community faces. Some main points that

Currently the dispute has given rise to two dichotomous (and therefore co-constitutive) factions within the transgender community: the “true transsexuals” (also known by the sometimes derogative “truscums” or “transmedicalists”) and the queer-theory/social-approach minded “tucutes”. The former ideology understands transgenderism primarily through the transsexual standpoint as pivoting on a profound biological/psychological disorientation that can only be remedied through medical intervention; conversely, the latter claims that given that gender is contingent on exterior social indexes, changeable external influences such as culture, and internal understandings relevant to the individual alone, it can only be described through a framework of liminal

Many may wonder what being a transgender person really is, a lot of people may see or refer to it as someone who has gone gender transformation, or is confused with who they are. The word transvestite is very much used when referring to a person who identifies with the opposite gender, the word 'Transvestite' itself originated in 1910 by the well known German sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld, who also founded the Berlin institute which was where the first 'sex change' surgeries took place. 'Transsexual' was not used until 1949, the word 'transgender' not until 1971, and 'trans not until 1996, but they all refer to the same thing. The idea of being transgender goes as far back as 1503 BC to the Egyptians. It was believed that their second

Though all of the identities that have been discussed in this seminar are of importance, the three identities I find important to discuss are transsexual, intersex and sex. Our first few readings covered these specific identities right away. Within The Gender Book, Transsexual was described as an individual whose gender identity exists primarily in contradiction to the sex that is assigned at birth (p. 36). Though according to the American Psychological Association (2014), Transgender is described as an umbrella term, which covers a person’s gender expression, identity and behavior that may not necessarily match with the sex that individual was assigned at birth. Though both are informative readings, I believe these authors were set out to

In the West a paradigm shift change occurs in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s regarding transgender identities. This move emerges from two different sources; one, from a growing activist faction of the transgender community and two, from academia, where an ascendant poststructuralism/postmodernism from various disciplines such as the Social Sciences and the Humanities is challenging (or queering) the hegemony of traditional social structures, such as the essentialist framing of gender. Instead it recognizes, reifies, and disseminates a social constructivist or social-approach model to gender. Our identities are less an imprecise product of DNA chromosomes and fetal hormones than an enforced reflection of social mores and discourses. Just as biology is not destiny,