Reflection On Milk

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

Imagine, you go to work in your dress shoes, black suit, buzz-cut hair, red power tie, and nobody pays you a second look. But, the second you get home, you kick off your shoes, and don high-heels, the suit is replaced with a dress, your short wig is taken off, and you let your long curls fall, and your tie is in the closet, with a necklace in its place. Such hiding of true feelings is not an unheard concept in the transgender world. Millions of transgender people will never express their true feelings in their lifetime. This is similar to The Intruder by Andre Dubus, Kenneth Girard a

American society today is not any different from the past, except today people are apt to discuss everything publicly on various social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram just to name a few. Transgender persons happen to be one of those subjects that have become the hot topic of the new normal. Nowadays there are blogs, tweets, and pictures posted online of people’s transition “coming out.” Like the past, society is still tough when it comes to judging each other. Although transgender might not have had a recognized community in the past, it is prevalent that society is becoming more accepting of their community, and aware of issues their community faces. In this essay the names, nouns, or pronouns used will be in accordance to the individual’s preference.

In 2008, President Barack Obama made it clear in his election that he supported equality for people who identify themselves as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Obama ‘s famous slogan and theme for his election campaigns was one word…”hope.” The same slogan was used throughout election campaigns of the first openly gay politician, Harvey Milk in the late 1960s and the 1970s. Significantly 2009, Harvey Milk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. I believe that President Barack Obama was influenced by both the faith and justice that Harvey Milk portrayed in his short life of advocacy for equality and his sense of community over individualism. Milk’s life and legacy deserves a closer look as a model of faith and advocate of social justice. As a person who identifies himself as part of the LGBT community I have experienced many forms of discrimination towards me and my LGBT neighbors. I do not want to be judged by the level of masculinity I am supposed to have by society’s standards. I want my fellow LGBT community members and I to not be discriminated, ridiculed

He revolutionized the way we govern our major cities by advocating for the common man and giving voices to the disenfranchised. He changed the country’s political climate into one in which many closeted gays gained the courage to come out. He also served as the unwavering advocate of the disenfranchised and struck down laws that would produce institutionalized inequality. Harvey Milk has posthumously inspired a generation of activists to create systematic change, provide funding, and create programs for the benefit of the world’s LGBT youth and for minorities at large. [I can definitely edit this to be shorter if you think it should be] Before he died, Harvey Milk stated [that] “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet shatter every closet door”(Bringing People Hope 4). Many have wondered if he truly how powerful his death could be. In my case, I vividly remember hearing about Harvey milk and racing home from catholic school to learn about this openly gay politician. I found it impossible to believe that someone like me could be honest about who they are, and not only be accepted but elected to public office. I remember the intense hope and vindication I felt while reading an online biography dedicated to this man whom I now considered to be a legend. Imagine my anguish when my eyes first skimmed over the word “assassinated”. After processing this tragedy, I came to the following conclusion. In my mind this man had not only been accepted for who he was, but he also died for my right to be who I am. I felt then as I do now, that because of Harvey Milk, I have a responsibility to be honest about who I

The United States is a divided society. We like to categorize ourselves according to political affiliation, race, and religion. We are members of the middle, low-income, or wealthy classes. We choose what seats to sit in during a football game according to the team we are rooting for. It is oddly comforting to know that you belong. All too often, however, transgender youth are denied that sense of ubelonging because they defy society’s categories of male and female. The gender binary divides society into two separate, unequivocal categories that marginalizes transgender youth and directly impacts their emotional health and well-being. Society’s collective response of demeaning, shaming, and violence further increases the divide.

Before high school, I didn't know what transgender, asexual, or gender-fluid was and now I can educate others on the subject.My best friends are the most diverse group I have: Avalon who I call my sister is white chubby and asexual, Max is white transgender and very skinny, Sophie is overweight, white and bisexual, Sliver is black and bisexual, Michell is Hispanic and homosexual and more. Most of my friends come from households with one parent or have step parents; none of my friends have lived perfectly happy lives we all have baggage and we accepted one another not based on the color of our skin or who we love, but because of who we

At the age of seventeen, I was in my senior year of high school and I came out as transgender to all of my friends. I had asked all of my friends to call me Shane and to refer to me as a boy, most of them tried as hard as they could to get it right. They felt bad if they didn't get it right but I understood. I told my parents that I wanted to legally change my name and change my gender but my dad said no, my mom had started to come

Gwen, is a Caucasian transgendered female between the ages of 31-40 years old. She initially came to counseling to quit smoking. After conquering this goal, and suffering from withdrawals, she still was not happy with herself. As her life took a whirl spin, she also lost her job. She experienced periods of depression from living as a male and often thought about transitioning to the opposite sex. She became a bit confused, and often put it off because she was confused about really made her happy in life. Gwen’s mother notice the unhappiness she was experiencing within herself and offered her support in assisting in transitioning to the opposite sex.

One way to represent a person’s life and achievements can be through a movie, be it documentary or narrative film. A person worth documenting is Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the United States who fought for gay rights and inspired equality for the United States. There are two mainly renowned films about Harvey Milk, which will be compared for this essay: The times of Harvey Milk (1984) by Rob Epstein and Milk (2008) by Gus Van Sant. The first is an independent documentary about Harvey Milk’s life and legacy with a big focus on his friends and associates as they remember him along with archival footage, whereas the second is a mainstream multimillion dollar dramatic Hollywood film recounting Harvey’s life more from his perspective and with a star studded cast. These two portrayals are different between approach, tone and style. The way this essay will approach these movies is by comparing how the two films portray Milk, how these take from what can be considered gay cinema and which can be considered the more realistic portrayal of Harvey Milk.

Hue is a fourteen year old African-American and Asian transgender female to male, self-referred to the agency for depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideations on transgender suicide in the media. Hue is a 9th grader in high school, and he describes satisfactory academic progress. He lives with his mother, and visits his father in the summer in Michigan. Hue reports three friends he is close with and one being his best friend for eight years. Hue’s mother does not approve of his friendship with his best friend due to the verbal abuse in the past, but Hue reports that the disagreement was in the past and they have rebuilt their relationship.

As quoted by Ellen Wittlinger, “you can only lie about who you are for so long before you go crazy.” As a member of the transgender community, this is the reality for my nephew, Riley, who now sufferers with extreme bullying simply because he wants to be himself, a boy. Through his transition, I have stood by Riley and have witnessed first hand the potentially fatal hate that he has been attacked with. Why does our society continuously contradict itself by saying “be yourself”, and then shun those who do? As Americans, we value individualism; therefore, we should stress the need for teaching awareness about the LGBTQ community. By seeing the hardships that my nephew has had to endure, I have become a much more compassionate to other and am

Before the start of the Fall 2016 semester, I was determined to spend the semester exploring unique volunteer opportunities. All my experiences up until then had felt homogeneous and I was eager to delve into something new and distinct. When the new semester began, I discovered Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin, a non-profit dedicated to providing breast milk to medically fragile babies in need. I never knew such an organization existed and felt that I had found the unique experience I was looking for. My work and class schedule conflicted with most of their operating hours, but I often found myself at Mothers’ Milk Bank when I had a free morning. I was intrigued by the many issues in society I was still unfamiliar with, and was keen on uncovering

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.

The most obvious challenges I have faced living as a transgender male have been physical, but the hardest I have faced have not only been personal, but emotional. I have encountered countless overly personal inquisitions, questioning looks, and awkward introductions. Existing as a biological female for a large portion of my life imbued that period of time with many challenges. As a child, I fought passionately with my parents to shop in the “boys” section of the store, to play hockey and lacrosse, and to never step foot in a dress. I often wondered why other children would point and snicker at my choice of clothing. I even asked my distraught mother why I was “put in the wrong body” at the age of three. I had to grow up and not only learn, but understand and accept that I am not the same as everyone else. I had to come to terms with the fact that most people do not face the challenge of waking up every day and overcoming the feeling that something is fundamentally “off” that cannot truly be “fixed”. “Average” is a description I often longed to be labeled in the past, but over the years I have discovered that striving to be above average is the true key to success.