Growing Transgender Video Analysis

Instead, the article further educated me on the inner thoughts and experiences that are associated with being FTM transgender or transsexual. As a cisgender individual, or someone whose gender and biological sex are the same, I am unable to empathize or related to the experiences of transgender and transsexual people. The inside look that the article provided me was appreciated and granted me a deeper understanding of what it is like to be transgender or transsexual, especially regarding how they are socially perceived. Before reading the article, I knew that transgender and transsexual individuals did not feel that their gender matched their biological sex. Through the article, I learned that while that may be true, they do not always feel pressured to change how they physically appear to identify as a gender other than one representative of their biological sex. There are many factors they consider when choosing to transition or not. The factors include: how they want to be perceived in social interactions – as a man or not as a man -, family and friends, loss of their trans or queer identity, and feeling like their gender and sex match (Dozier, 2005). However, regardless of if they transitioned, once the individuals were accepted as their desired gender, the individuals felt more comfortable breaking gendered norms, like presenting as a male but wearing nail

Internal conflict is something that the transgender community knows all too well. Feeling as though you are living in the wrong body can do serious damage to the way that someone sees themselves. One of the hardest time for transgender teens is puberty. Researchers have said that “This is a particularly hard age, since the body begins to change and adapt gender specific features (breasts, changes in genitals, menses, etc..). Transgender individuals have reported “I was disgusted by (hair, breasts…etc)” (Ami B. Kaplan, 2014). It already puts a child or teen under great stress to see themselves living life as a gender they feel is completely wrong, but, as puberty begins to hit and they see this body changing it only increases that self-hatred that slowly builds. Even though transitioning can be the best decision a transgender person might make, it can still be just as difficult to finalize this. Many transgender youth have said that they have “Fears about finding a partner, feelings about having to experience surgeries, hormones, (and for MTF transsexuals) facial hair removal and voice changes, and fears about violence and prejudice when one is read transgender”(Ami B. Kaplan, 2014). Even when the option to transition arises, doubt may still linger. Some transgender youth that have gone through with transitioning face many issues emotionally such as “Disappointment that transitioning didn’t solve all problems, level of satisfaction with appearance, level of satisfaction

What if you had a child who was experiencing gender dysphoria? A child who didn’t feel that they were comfortable being the gender that they were born into? What would you do if your child wanted to become the opposite gender? In the documentary “Growing up Trans” (TV Episode 2015) Children who are experiencing gender dysphoria tell their stories about what it’s like growing up transgender. The documentary offers insight on the issues and complications the children and their parents face while transitioning.

While watching Growing Up Trans on PBS, I had a lot of mixed emotions. The topic of individuals being transgender has a lot of controversy behind it. Before watching this documentary, I was fairly concerned about the idea of young children making such a huge decision about hormones and making the decision to go through puberty. I feared that these individuals could regret their decision once they got older. One of the individuals in the documentary, Isaac, mentions that he questions how he may be different if he had gone through typical puberty or didn’t make some of the decisions he had when he was so young. Though Isaac seemed to struggle with some questions and concerns about his choices, it appeared that all of the others who were featured in the documentary were prepared for the transition.

The main character goes through many phases, and hardships throughout his life and this video takes you through it. From the day he was born, people would feel the happiness and the loved his parents gave him. When he was in the third grade, he was confused, and lost. He ran to his mother in tears and said he thought he was gay. His mom said it was all in your head, and that you loved girls since you were in pre-k. After, his mom convincing him that he isn’t gay and it’s all in his head, he realized that no church or anyone can cure or change who he is. He knew who he was, and came out. His mom wouldn’t accept that and tried to change him, but that just put him in more pain. He just wanted to be accepted by the one person that raised him. When he came out people were just leaving him out, calling him names, pushing him around, and saying that he is wrong for being in love with the same gender. All that hate he got didn’t matter to him what matter was that he was finally happy with someone who he loves. The way he was being mistreated by people, just made him stronger and proud for whom he is, and no one is bringing him down. At this point others would feel bad for him because of the hate people had for him, but also happy because he knew what was right and what had to be done.

Topics concerning transgender can be very overwhelming for some. When one thinks of the term transgender, one may think of the process of an individual identifying as the opposite sex. The opposite sex of what he or she was born as. For some, this may involve undergoing surgical procedures or taken hormonal medications to fulfill their desire. However, when thinking of this process, one automatically thinks of transgender adults. This is rarely a topic that one would assume would be racing through the minds of young children, but in fact it is. More children today than ever, are either speaking out about their identity concerns, or displaying it in their lives. In fact, according to Date Line NBC, “The handful of American doctors who specialize

people who identify as transgender or transsexual are usually people who are born with typical male or female anatomies but feel as though they been born in the wrong body. “I didn't realize who I was until I stop being who I was”. 62% have experiences depression.

There is a lot in this documentary film that can elicit a deep emotional response from the viewer, especially from those who identify in part with the LGBT community. One of the more emotional segments of the film involved the life of the transgender senior KrysAnne. It was disheartening to hear out and observe her life in the film: being estranged by her own family after her transition and struggling throughout the later years of her life to find proper health care. Most of the time, she mainly had to care for herself in her own home until she required medical attention in a hospital setting. Later on in her stay, KrysAnne did have a support circle developed for her by some of the hospital staff in an effort to provide her the love and

My opinion is influenced by the natural law of nature and of negative factors of transgenderism when compared to the traditional way of society. Allowing a child to determine whatever they want to be sexually is a problem for concern where the gender issues in which the presenter expressed is anti-procreation. There are also psychological issues surrounding Gender identification.

The life of a transgender person is not as easy as it seems. When a transgender person decides to courageously change their sex to the one they identify with, they are subject to ridicule and hate. In the TED Talk “Why I Must Come Out,” fashion model Geena Rocero tells the powerful story of who she was at birth and her transition into who she knew she was meant to be. Geena begins her speech by expressing that “The world makes you something that you’re not — but you know inside what you are.” Geena Rocero reveals that she was born a male, but always felt more female than male.

In a lot of places around the world more and more people are coming out as “Transgender.” The term transgender means that the person’s gender identity does not correspond with the gender they were assigned as having at birth. From personally having a transgender boyfriend I have since realized that these people experience a lot of discrimination in and from society. Many people simply just do not understand what the term transgender means and they see it as someone just “wants to be a man” or “wants to be a woman.” While there may be people who present it this way, it is more so that the individual just “feels” different, and “feels” as if they are “in the wrong body.” Some people experience this feeling at a young age as my boyfriend did in his elementary age. We live in a world who put these people down for being who they truly are, and no human being wants or needs that.

I learned various things, primarily, different terms and definitions that I did not know existed. For example IA: which means he/she. Or even transition and Trans Man. I thought it was very interesting that they were able to find a word that they thought went along with their gender identity, without using words that have been in this culture attached to negative meanings. I know that I myself have different views and opinions. As I watched this video, different thoughts and questions came up that I had to try to answer. For example I believe probably like many, that if you want to know your sex, or how you are to act, look at “your package” per say. However, in the case of Mani Bruce and being intersex, it is hard to really know or understand a specific “Gender role”. or really, if you were intended to be a male or female. Especially,

2) I think learning more about the history of transgender individuals would be very interesting. It is not a topic that is discussed a ton, and I believe it would be good to get exposed to their history. Learning more about the current transgender movements is an issue we should also become more informed on. The news does not talk about the violence directed towards transgender people, so I think we should get more educated on what they are going through. I never really heard about the violence towards transgender individuals because I come from a small town and it is not really an issue that is brought up on the news often.

I never really thought about life as a transgender. But, reading the scenario, it really made me think. How would I feel if I woke up one day and felt lost in my body? If it didn’t fit who I was. What would I do? And honestly, I am not sure. I sat on my bed and thought about it. Because yes, sometimes people don’t feel themselves. But to not feel yourself all day every day in your body sounds awful and sad. After a lot of thinking, I came to the conclusion that I would dress as I felt. If I felt like I was a male, I would dress as one. I’ve always been one to not care about what people and I feel like I wouldn’t care to dress as a male if that’s truly who I felt I was regardless of my sex.

Being myself around others is easy, but becoming myself is what has truly defined me. I had to discover my authentic self, despite the overwhelming input and expectations of everyone and everything around me. Genetically, I was born into the world female, but inherently, I knew I was transgender before even learning that “gender” was a word. I used to believe that someone had “made a mistake”, because I was arbitrarily born in a girl’s body. But now I know, that was exactly where I was supposed to be. It would have been easier if I was just born genetically male, but I know my time spent living as a female and my time spent living as a transgender male has enabled me to accept, appreciate, and have the ability to communicate with people from all walks of life. The limitations, unwanted attention, and stereotypes that accompany being transgender could have easily broken me, but instead I have geared my experiences towards forming myself into the confident, fearless person I am today.