Namaste Social Change

Spade’s critique of Billings and Urban also exemplifies the study of transgenders—distinct from transgender studies—Stryker introduces of “people who occupied transgender positions [being] compelled to be referents in the language games of other senders and addressees”. In addition, Stryker’s notion of gender as a “mashup” is brought to life in Mutilating Gender as Spade highlights individuals (himself included) who “seek to occupy ambiguous gender positions in resistance to norms of gender rigidity” and exist counter to a mirror representation. By integrating knowledge such as this into public consideration, those without access to SRS or without the means to pursue cosmetic surgery are not left out of what is socially perceived as masculine or feminine, or are even able to expand gender and deconstruct the

In her book “Gender Outlaw: On Men, Woman, and the Rest of us,” Kate Bornstein goes over a lot of the major issues regarding gender awareness and identity politics. She talks about the ideas of labeling ones self, understanding gender differences, how people view laws, behaviors, and the medical and scientific privilege that make transitioning challenging for a lot of people. Bornstein touches on many of the issues today that affect trans people. She includes poetry, pictures, quotes, essays, and a play to raise questions and discuss the idea of gender. This is a great book to introduce and discuss the issues that affect the lives of trans people as they navigate and explore the lines that define gender.

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 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.

Within this modern time new ideas and concepts within our society regarding rights between gender, are being brought into light. Firstly, transgender news has been picked up quite frequently. People are feeling more free to be themselves as a different gender and/or are taking the initiative to make the hormonal or surgical change. Though the freedom is relieving, many others find the need to make comments on others lives such as the Wall Street Journal, saying “we don’t allow children to vote or get tattoos, yet in the name of progressive thinking we are allowing them to choose serious bio-medical interventions” (Source A). This may have a true sentiment, yet the truth is as it stands, it is no one else’s place to make that decision. The

Serano recalls her own experiences of being sexualized to shed light on how trans identities are sexualized. The story points out how a person’s transition from one gender to another, or being trans itself can be viewed as sexual solicitation, rather than a result of their own identity (Serano 257). The sexualization of trans people is based on a societal viewpoint that centers itself around male heterosexuality, as Serano expounds:

Discrimination has been a problem for many years, from the slaving of African Americans dating back to 1619, to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals being shot in the streets a few weeks ago. However one specific group of people, transgendered people have been targeted for decades, yet they haven’t had the mass media coverage as other discrimination issues have. Focusing on their physical abuse, and psychological impact and the substance abuse from the discrimination they face; I hope to highlight these issues and show that they need help fighting this discrimination as well, and this isn’t just an individual problem but the bigger society’s issue.

In the documentary Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She, the prejudices towards transgender and intersex individuals, as well as the fear they experience because of these prejudices, are underlined. A transgender individual is one that identifies with a gender that is not associated with their biological sex. An intersexual individual, however, is one that is born with indefinite sexual anatomical characteristics, making it difficult to identify as a male or female (Croteau & Hoynes, 2013). In addition, this documentary emphasizes the impact of cultural expectations on sexual orientation and gender identification.

A large issue facing trans women today is the violence perpetrated against them. In 2003, fourteen murders of trans people were recorded in the U.S, most of them being trans women and people of color. (Bettcher, p. 280) By mid-October of 2015, twenty-one trans women, who were also mostly women of color, were murdered in the United States, and this number exceeds the amount of trans murders in 2014. (Wilkinson, “You Know What Time It Is”) It is important to remember that these are only recorded instances that do not count the murders that went unreported. The amount of these murders is increasing as more years pass. This violence is rooted in the idea of trans women are seen as deceivers due to the vulva-vagina-uterus anatomy being seen as the “normal” anatomy of a woman. This is explained in Talia Mae Bettcher’s “Evil Deceivers and Make-Believers”, as she outlines the “rhetoric of deception” throughout the article. In the article, she states “frequently connected to this appearance-reality contrast is the view that genitalia are the essential determinants of sex.” (Bettcher, p.281) Because of this, trans women are put in a double-bind to either “disclose ‘who one is’ and come out as a pretender or masquerader, or refuse to disclose (be a deceiver) and run the risk of forced disclosure, the effect of which is exposure as a liar.”(Bettcher, p. 283) The normalization of this anatomy being linked to femaleness puts added pressure on trans women to “prove” themselves, or else be

My Biological sex is female, my gender identity is female, but is my gender expression what I am starting to question. It was after I read Janet Mock’s book and I listened to an interview with Joy Ladin that I became aware of the similarities transgender women undertake in their process to come out, and my own process of redefining the expression of the woman that I am. I feel that the coming out of transgender people is encouraging us, especially women, to deeply question our woman expression. Trans-women like Joy Ladin and Janet Mock are raising a new conversation about gender identity and gender expression…..

Cheryl Chase article “Affronting Reason” and “Beards, Breast, and Bodies Doing Sex in a Gendered World” by Raine Dozier both illustrates the struggles of intersex and transgender face in society. Cheryl article focus on a child who is born intersex and now is dealing with her parents' decision of having a clitorectomy surgery. In Breads, Breast, and Bodies we see how transgender female to male dealt with society at a new point of view. Both stories reflect on the negativities each individual faced and also rise above the norm to embrace their new identity. Betray can cause trusting issue amongst one another, especially when that person is a family member.

There are a variety of vulnerable populations that exist in today’s struggling society. There are groups that are more vulnerable for certain illnesses or death and individuals that are segregated or treated differently because their preferred sexual interests and habits. This discussion will cover the definition of vulnerable population with the focus primarily on transvestites. The transvestite demographics and my personal awareness of this vulnerable population will be viewed with my personal attitudes and the health care delivery can be affected. I will give my own reflection toward this particular group including my perception before and after becoming more familiarized.

Gender transition makes for a provocative quilting point as it shapes Western social conventions regarding binary-gender identities into an intelligible and recognizable rite-of-passage. Originally theorized by anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep (date), rites-of-passage configure social status-changes into a visible tripartite process denoted by a starting point of separation, followed by a transitional (or liminal) stage, and concluding with a reinstallation back into society under the new station (CITE). While the process is undertaken by, and therefore has been ostensibly created for, the individual initiate, rites-of-passage are constituted and maintained by the State, which institutionally signifies passage from one phase of the process to another. Each gradation – in the case of gender transition, the individual’s divorce from their prior status as a recognizable ‘man’ or ‘woman’, the mediated liminal state that includes hormone replacement therapy, real-life test, ongoing therapeutic consultation, surgical remedies, and the re-aggregation (Turner 363) noted through post-operative letters and/or changed government documents – is orchestrated, measured and controlled. The expected and rewarded end result is for the transgender individual to be recognized as analogous as cisgender. In a binary-gendered society, such passing defines a successful gendered rite-of-passage; conversely, to be ‘trans’ is to located ‘betwixt and between’ (Turner 1969) the dominant gender

The transgendered women and men have always been here, however, they are experiencing oppression. But they are not purely identified as the products of oppression (Stryker & Whittle, 2006). It has been claimed by that authors that “it is passing that’s historically new.” The meaning of passing is hiding and invisibility. Transgendered people should have the freedom to live their life freely and show who

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,