Social Stigma Associated With Hijras Essay

Discouraged by homophobia, transphobia, as well as the common presence of xenophobia, many asylum-seekers are hesitant to speak out and prefer to remain under the radar. Due to this, many queer migrants struggle with a complex web of social and psychological stress in addition to that of their initial persecution (Jordan, 2009, p. 165). Voices suppressed by looming fear, queer refugees are often underrepresented in quantitative statistical information regarding this demographic. With this disparity in representation, it can be fairly difficult to paint a clear and concrete image of the actual size and importance of issue at hand. Despite this, it is crucial that this particular group of refugees is protected, for they are entitled to basic human

na Nanda 's Neither Man Nor Woman is an ethnographic study about the lives of Indian men known as the hijras. Through interaction with the hijras and her study of Indian culture, Nanda provides a glimpse into a unique society and lifestyle. The author goes into detail about the lives of hijras, their treatment by Indian society, the economic and sexual implications of their existence and status within Indian culture. Nanda defines the hijras as “...the name given to a full-time female impersonator who is a member of a traditional social organization, part cult and part caste, of hijras, who worship the goddess Bahuchara Mata. Hijras may be eunuchs with partial surgical sex reassignment; their sexuoerotic role is as women with men.” (Nanda)

As the youngest south Asian girl in a family with traditional values expanding my understandings of social value and public health to race, ethnicity and sexuality is an exciting process. I am now studying my master at the University of Manchester in Gender, Sexuality and Culture. My ambition to gain more knowledge of the power systems of complex identities and social value has grown over the years at university. My interest in social value and public health studies arose from my research from my undergraduate degree at Coventry University. Exploring and challenging current cultural identities, in particular, those of ethnicity has been a personal interest of mine throughout my further education. My undergraduate dissertation explored the history of India and Hinduism and how the homophobic attitudes have affected British Asian attitudes in the Hindu community. Since my undergraduate dissertation, I am now exploring how men’s mental health is now in the process of de-stigmatization.

During the holocaust, a large faction of people were subjected to horrible hardships that killed many, and scarred those that weren’t given the luxury of death. The Jewish were this faction; they were sent to ghettos and concentration camps, treated like animals, starved, and even burned alive. Similar events are going on today, though not quite to this extent. People are discriminated against for their skin color, sexuality, or gender by legislature, in the workplace, and in daily life. In “Experience of Career-Related Discrimination for Female-to-Male Transgender Persons: A Qualitative Study,” Franco Dispenza and his colleagues did a study on the different types of discrimination and their impact on female to male transgender men. The holocaust

Throughout history, it is evident that inequalities and disparities are part of health systems and society. Even after all the success of activism, such as the work from the human rights movement and campaign, inequalities and disparities are still evident today. Especially within minority groups, such as LGBTQ* (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) individuals – this is not to say that LGBTQ are the only categories when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identities, thus it is followed by a * – and racial groups. Furthermore, it is evident that within minority groups there are specific micro-level groups that experience unique and sometimes even greater amount of inequalities and disparities. For example, the micro-level group of transgender individuals from the LGBTQ* community is one of the many minority groups that experience both medical and social disparities and inequalities.This paper will discuss both the medical and social inequalities and disparities that Transgender Individuals face, including structural violence and intentional violence.

Everyday Transgender Women of color are mistreated and repressed by society, they face constant ridicule and mistreatment. They face a constant issue of society judging them and putting them under a microscope. Societal repression is a constant issue these women face just because of their gender identity. Transgender Women of Color are one of the most least mentioned groups in society. This under shadowed group of women is struggling. They face constant abuse and repression, society is destroying these women. These women who are just like everyone else are one of the most mistreated societal groups around. They face things like mistreatment in the health field that should be helping them through one of the biggest transitions of their life.

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.

A recurring theme has emerged from the texts and the film, that social stigma towards mental illness is rampant and destructive. There is a large discrepancy in the society of today in that we so readily accept illnesses of the body that can be explained and treated by physical means, however, when it comes to an illness of the mind we are so quick to claim lunacy to explain what we do not understand. This results in the overwhelming consensus that an individual with a mental illness would “rather have something wrong with [their] body than something wrong with [their] head” in order to be accepted by the society in which they live. As the mental illness of the individual is reliant on their reactions to social stimuli, often much of the social stigma that is created is due to an unusual or abnormal response. For example, Christopher Boone, the main character in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, does not

Oppression is prolonged unjust and cruel treatment. The LGBT community has faced oppression for a very long time. Transgender individuals face oppression in a different way and are often overlooked by LGBT groups because they are finding themselves in a different way. Transgender people are treated cruel and even murdered because of their choices and decisions. These individuals are facing oppression based on themselves but also in ways such as poverty. With discrimination comes the difficulty to keep a job and a safe work environment. This group is one of the main groups forgotten about and misunderstood. Instead of facing oppression for one reason these individuals face cruel treatment just walking down the street. It is impossible

Race should never be a determining factor to how an individual is judged, however, society has overtime created racial stigmas that cause individuals to view one other in negative ways. The U.S. Census Bureau of 1987 defines race by separating them into many different categories. It describes White as a person having origins in any of the original people of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa, Black or African American as a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, and American Indian or Alaska Native as a person having origins in any of the original people of North and South America. It also describes Asian as a person having origins in any of the original people of the Far East, Southeast Asia, and Pacific

However, Afghanistan, now corrupted and destroyed by the ideals of the Taliban, is no longer the safe or beautiful country that is used to be. The idea of becoming a boy and hiding the fact that she is female to simply obtain the nessicities that she needs is desasterous and dangerous in itself. What would be the consequences is the Taliban found out her real identity? The punishment would surely be unbelievalbly cruel. Living in a country where being a girl practically guaruntees a life of inequality, it is no wonder that becoming a boy would be safer. Surely, she would have enough food, water, opportunities, access to education, reliable healthcare and freedom. Parvana’s family is undoubtedly not the only family that aspires for their children to be healthy, safe, happy and able to have a bright future. But in several countries, that is not posible for the women; where they live, being born a girl is a curse. Places like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, India, Yemen, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya for example. All these countries have one characteristic in common, the fact that they all judge women to be the same: foolish, weak, unresponsible, fragile, powerless, defenseless and impotent. Without a doubt, these countries think that we, as women, are less important than the males because they are seen as more stong and

Those with gender identities and orientations outside of the mainstream are welcomed by the hijra communities. In Indian society boys must exhibit their heterosexuality by puberty – if not, they are labeled as hijras and put out of the family. There exist no place in Indian society for effeminate homosexuals of transsexuals. Hijra

Experiencing self-stigma is common within people with mental illness and they play a big role in the patient’s life. Stigma generally has two forms, social stigma and self-stigma. Despite the psychological stress and disabilities, those who are defined as mentally ill may also experience prejudicial and stereotypical beliefs such as assuming all people with mental illness are violent and dangerous. The prejudice leads to discrimination, they may be denied opportunities or basic rights that are offered to other members of the society (Corrigan, Larson & Rusch, 2009).

The social issue that I chose which affects society today is transgender inequality. These issues are more recently gaining attention and becoming a prevalent topic of inequality within our country. A transgender person is someone whose gender identity, gender expression or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth. As more and more transgender people share their stories in the media, the social problems that arise from these stories are discrimination within their everyday lives. They suffer from scrutiny and judgment from their peers, and thus many hide their gender identity from family and society. This social injustice can be as simple as a glance or staring, or offensive comments and questions to violent hate crimes. Transgender people are prone to violence and harassment, and often not feeling safe in any aspect of society. They are fired from jobs, denied medical insurance, and being murdered left and right solely for being transgender. “A staggering 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide compared to 1.6% of the general population, with rates rising for those who lost a job due to bias (55%), were harassed/bullied in school (51%), had low household income, or were the victim of physical assault (61%) or sexual assault (64%)” (National Center for Transgender Equality). The structure of this paper will consist of adding all the research that was gathered over the semester, news articles and peer

Individuals with serious mental illness are doubly affected by their disease; not only do they experience the often debilitating symptoms of their condition, but they must also endure mundane mental health stigmas and prejudices. Stigmatized attitudes are perceived to be one of the greatest impediments to living a complete and fulfilling life. Stigma has been defined as a combination of three related problems: ignorance, prejudice and discrimination (Rose, Thornicroft, Pinfold, & Kassam, 2007). Ignorance implies a lack of knowledge, prejudice entails negative attitudes, and discrimination involves exclusionary actions against people deemed to be different. Two forms of stigma are commonly distinguished in literature. Public stigma describes the attitudes of society towards people with mental illness, while self-stigma results from the internalization of prejudice by people who suffer from mental health conditions (Corrigan, Powell, & Rüsch, 2012). The World Health Organization announced that stigma was the most crucial obstacle to overcome for a community to functioning effectively and efficiently (Ontario Hospital Association, 2013).