Social Justice: Transgenders In The United States

This is in direct correlation with the increased probability of mental illnesses in the transgender population. Traditional views certainly do not help as many transgender citizens are told they are “sick” because of their difference with many religious and personal beliefs. A study from Boston published earlier this year in the Journal of Adolescent Health, reported that transsexual youth had two to three times increased risk of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self-harm without lethal intent, and both inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment. These statistics show the clear consequences of mental health transgenders are facing if transgender rights continues to be unregulated. It is essential that the federal government steps in to take action in order to make sure things do not continue on this downwards path.

In the hit show Orange is the new black there are lots of sexual tensions. For example one of the oscar nominated characters in the show is Laverne cox. Cox plays as an inmate in jail and she is her truth on the show which is transgender, and she is a phenomenal actress. Cox took a lot of negative talk when she first started on the show, but the show has multiple lesbian and transgender characters. Laverne Cox is an advocate speaker and goes on tours to speak to gay and transgender people. This is a positive thing to do to help some of these kids and adults realize it 's okay to be different, nothing is more important than living as your true self. Cox said in an interview, “ to love a transgender, is revolutionary.” “With more than 50% of transgender teens commit suicide before they even turn 20 it is clear that the societal inclination to generalize gender identity based on physical attributes present at birth results not only in the denial of basic human rights, but appears to be the impetus for this startling epidemic of suicide,” according to

Transgendered individuals are 25 times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. They tend to be live in abject poverty often surviving n less than $10,00 per year household income compared to the rest of the population. They are more likely to face harassment and physical assault, with transgenders that are people of colour faring worse than all other races across the board. Many

The governmental perpetuation of the myth that people who do not identify with their assigned gender at birth have a mental illness enforces public misunderstanding, fear, and hate. When government agents prohibit the gathering of information about trans individuals, they close themselves off from understanding the values and motives, of a large portion of the population. The government perpetuating the misconception that trans-gendered individuals are “mentally ill” encourages citizens to fear people who are not like them. Sustaining a culture of ignorance and

Grant et al. (2011) explain on the Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey that 19% of their sample reported being refused medical care due to their transgender or gender non-conforming status, with even higher numbers among people of color in the survey. In addition, the survey indicated that 50% of the sample reported having to teach their medical providers about transgender

The number of estimated people in who identify as a transgender in United States of America is 700,000, according to 2011 findings from the Williams Institute, the transgender population represents about 0.3% of American adults. Disheartening research from the 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey reveals that 41% of transgender participants (2,644 out of 6, 540) had attempted, at some point, take their own lives. One of the reason why they attempting to suicide is because of discrimination about their gender. People are debating about should transgender individual should have their own bathroom and many people are getting affected by the issue. The use of public restroom by transgender individual has long been a polarizing issue.

Our nation is facing a pressing issue that no one can find an adequate answer to. How do we deal with the many problems that are faced when dealing with transgender individuals? These people have somehow snuck their way into our schools, workplaces, military, and public restrooms. They should be condemned for the actions that they take against us when they argue how we should treat them.

For transgender individuals whose gender identities may be visibly different from the norm, there are questions and assumptions from other people about their gender identities in their daily lives (Serano, 2013). For example, during childhood and young adult life, Green (2013), a transsexual male, was constantly judged and questioned by others based on his lack of physical femininity and “inappropriate behaviors” for a female. Additionally, in a male-dominated society, trans women become victims of trans-misogyny, which is defined as a trans person being ridiculed for their expression of femininity (Serano, 2013), because it is inconceivable that a male “inheriting male privilege [would] ‘choose’ to be female instead” (2013, p. 445). Thus, trans women are subjected to violence (Stryker, 2013) and stereotypes (Serano, 2013). During the 1960s, trans women working the Tenderloin district of San Francisco were abused by the police (Stryker, 2013). Transgender women were arrested on suspicion of prostitution, humiliated in front of other prisoners, and placed in men’s jails, where transgender women were susceptible to physical harm including assault, rape, and murder (2013). In the media, trans women are often depicted as sex workers and objectified when they pursue medical transitioning

Reiheld argues that transgender persons have a hard time receiving equal care, or any care at all. I agree with Reiheld that transgender patients have difficulty in receiving the proper medical attention that they deserve. However, in this paper I will provide further solutions from Reiheld that decreases discrimination with transgender persons in America. Transgender persons in America should be treated equally in medical settings, and hospital workers should make sure that equality is served. What I believe being treated equally means is having the same rights as any other person. A transgender person, in my eyes, is a person whose self-identity does not conform to the sex their body was born with. Transgender persons in America have a difficult time receiving quality health care, or sometimes do not receive any health care. If hospital employees followed through with additional education and training to accommodate transgenders persons in America, this can ensure that all Americans regardless of sex, sexual orientation/identity, etc. are treated equally in the medical setting. Due to discrimination because of ignorance, and lack of awareness providing alternative

According to Borden (2015), transgender is defined as a person who identifies as the opposite sex assigned to them at birth. In population-based surveys, many transgender people do not identify themselves as such due to fear of past and future experiences of discrimination. In addition, many transgender individuals identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (Gates, 2011). Therefore, there is not an exact estimate of transgender. Also, many transgender individual adults are hiding their gender or gender transition to avoid discrimination; therefore, there is not a precise percentage of how many people identify as such (Smoyak, 2015). However, in the 2007 and 2009 Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Surveys, suggested that 0.5% of adults ages 18 to 64 considered themselves transgender (Conron, Gunner, Stowell, & Landers, 2012); and in the United States, there are 0.3% transgender persons (Gates, 2011).

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.

The unemployment of transgender people is high mainly because of the fact that they become unemployed since they decide to come out as the gender they truely feel which is the opposite of the sex they’re born with. Nineteen percent of transgender people are denied health care because of their gender and are becoming homeless, which will lead to more abuse once they enter a homeless shelter. Despite the fact that “gender equality” is mentioned in the laws of the United States, it isn’t necessarily true since there is inequality present when a transgender person is present in situations where they shouldn’t be discriminated or treated unfairly to begin with. For things such as going to the bathroom and putting up with being part of the fifty-three percent of transgender people who are verbally attacked to becoming a prostitute or a drug dealer just to get by with some money to survive and pay to transition to fit your gender expression, are issues that could’ve been avoided if the laws improved by explicitly adding transgender people to the list of those being protected in the law. The Title VII of the Civil Rights Act may say that people shouldn’t be discriminated or mistreated based on gender, but it is only most effective if the person is cisgender and not transgender. The discrimination and lack of protection is causing fourty-one percent are attempting suicide because they feel unprotected and therefore depressed, especially since they have no support. In order to diminish the amount of discrimination transgender people in the United States face everyday of their lives in aspects that leave them vulnerable, The United States needs to have laws explicitly stating that the rights of transgender people are being protected by the

Transgender Oppression is the oppression of people whose gender expression, gender identity, and/ or sex identity does not match the expectations of the dominant norm or society. Being a transgender means to “denote or relate to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender”. There are facilities that supports Transgenders and LGBT’s like the National Center for Transgender Equality, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Transgender individuals are disproportionately affected by discrimination in the workplace. In 2011, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality released the report “Injustice at Every Turn,” which details the discrimination faced by transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. The report revealed that across all employment sectors 90% of respondents reported experiencing harassment or mistreatment on the job or took actions to avoid it, and 47% experienced some sort of adverse job outcome (did not get a job, were denied a promotion, or were fired), 26% of which lost a job due to being transgender (Grant et al. 51-53).

Transgender people are discriminated on an almost daily basis. They are discriminated in the workplace, as shown in a study commisioned by the Equalities Review. In a group of transgender people who have jobs and are prone to workplace-enviroment effects and opinions, “many respondents experienced harassment from co-workers and employers.” Nearly 29% of the group experience verbal abuse and harassment in the workplace enviroment, and about 4% received physical abuse. About 7% experienced threats, and about 27% experienced some sort of different treatment due to their gender non-conforming ways.(Whittle 38-39). In another study, it was found that being mistreated in the school years would have a negative effect on future outcomes relating to employment. “Those who were physically attacked in school were considerably more likely to stay in a job (64%) compared to those who were not (42%) (Grant 50).” They are also discriminated in public as well, adding on to the distress that many transgender people suffer from regularly, making it seem as if all transgender people are crazy. Transgender people are just more likely to be diagnosed as someone with a mental disorder because its helpful to see that those who have been diagnosed are “hurting and something needs to be done to help (Kreitler 1).” In