"[T]here is a profound difference between pretending to be something in imaginary play, and declaring who you are - insistently, consistently, and persistently. Those are the three markers that set Transgender [people] apart." In the summer of 2014, Debi Johnson gave a speech telling the story behind mothering a Transgender child; with this quote she grasped the concept behind what it means to identify as Transgender in the best way possible. In today’s society, Transgender people are the most targeted group in the LGBTQ+ community for hate-based crimes of violence. Seventeen percent of Transgender people were victims of such violence in 2009, with 11 percent targeted towards those who identified as female, according to the Office for Victims of Crime. The Transgender community is fighting for their freedom to express their way of life without the worry of judgment or discrimination. Acceptance needs to be found first in their own homes if they want to move further along in society. Security of life is greatly dependent on their acceptance into society. As teens and as adults they need to have ease of mind that they will be able to live normal lives without consequences coming from it.
To understand this problem better, one must first know what identifying as Transgender signifies. Being Transgender is when one does not identify with their biological sex, it is a feeling you can get as early as two or three years of age (“Gender and Gender Identity at a Glance”). Being
Each and every day, thousands of members among the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual) community are affected by hate crimes, bullying and even homicide. In fact, in just 2015 alone, the number of crimes and homicides reported against these members are staggering. According to The National Coalition of Anti-violence Programs, there were fifteen reported homicides. (Jindasurat & Waters, 2015) That is only the reported number of victims who were confirmed as part of this community. Can you imagine how many are actually affected each year? These people are being targeted because of who they are and how they choose to live their life. They are being targeted because they have stood up for who they are. I couldn’t imagine being targeted
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals people make up more than ten percent of the population; that means if you are sitting in a classroom of thirty, then more than three of those people are LGBT individuals. However, this overwhelmingly large minority group continues to be one of the least protected by the government as well as most heavily targeted by discrimination and hate crimes. Regardless of the powerful shift in public opinion concerning LGBT individuals during the last twenty years, the laws concerning hate crimes have remained invariable.
In the news article “Asked to be paid, got sexually attacked” in the Toronto Sun from October 27 by Dean Fritchard, the author talks about James Marshall Le Clair who was accused of “sexual assault causing bodily harm and robbery” (Fritchard, 2015) of transgender women who provided sex services. It happened July 31, 2013 in Winnipeg. 10 month before the violator was charged for aggressive sexual assaulting his girlfriend, but he was released on bail. However, in the Calgary case a judge has not issued a verdict yet. Therefore, defense lawyer said that this case should be considered as a first-time offence. The offender and the victim met in his house by prior agreement. But when the women ask to pay in advanced, he beat and raped her. Offender does not accept his guilt. In this article is addressed the problem of gender inequality, especially inequality in relation to the transgender people.
The use of new media has transformed the way in which we receive the latest news content, but, despite this new form of media, we still do not receive every breaking news that occurs in the U.S. The article “Rise in Number of Transgender People Murdered” by Keira Andrews and Jeff Simmons, highlights the ongoing issue of transgender murders, specifically black trans women in the United States. The authors discuss the rates of murders in the U.S within the general population and compare it to those rates of black trans women, which surpass the general population rate. It is also important to consider the fact that these statistics are not completely accurate, mainly due to the fact that the death of transgender individuals are undercounted, thus
The United States and England are two of the most modernized countries in the world and share several similarities, one of which being that the justice systems of both countries play their role in the victimization of transgender inmates. Vicky Thompson was a transgender woman, who was sentenced to 12 months in an all male facility in Leeds, England. Within the third month of her sentence, Thompson committed suicide after her lawyer was unable to get the justice system to recognize Thompson as a woman (Kale, 2015). Furthermore, in the United Kingdom, transgender people are required to apply for a gender recognition certificate in order to have their legal gender, which is stated on their birth certificate, changed to the gender which they
The word “transgender” is a broad term inclusive of many subgroups. Currently there is no single universal definition. For the purposes of this paper, transgender is defined as an individual whose gender expression is different from their birth sex. Sex, for the purposes of this discussion, is defined as the physical anatomy that currently defines male and female. Gender identity refers to the individual’s internal sense of being male, female, both, or neither. Transgender individuals feel discomfort between what the gender they identify internally with and their outward physical sex characteristics. Gender expression refers to how an individual presents themselves to society. Sexual orientation the physical or emotional attraction towards another person, whether male or female. This is different than gender identity. Transgender individuals may be attracted to persons of the same sex or opposite sex. This paper will address specifically the transition of those individuals born anatomically male but identify their gender identity as female. Male-to-female transgender individuals are often referred to as MTF individuals.
An estimate from the U.S. Department of Justice states that “one in every two transgender people are sexually assaulted or abused within their lifetime.” Transgender activists claim that transgender people experience higher levels of violence and harassment, and, when using the bathroom corresponding to their biological sex are at an even greater risk. “The supposed threats that these protections pose to others are largely nonexistent; in fact, it is transgender people who are far more likely to be the target of violence than any random user of the ladies' room” (.Eisner).
To stop the oppression and discrimination toward the transgender community is with education, legislation, and breaking the social barrier so that every transgender man and woman can feel safe. The hardship of the transgender community doesn’t just go to the hurtful slang, but it can go as far as getting denied health-care to being murdered or harm for being transgender.
This is the first time that a president has said the word “transgender” in the State of the Union address. These words were not said by any accident and should not be taken lightly. All the cases he named are actually some of the most widely discriminated groups of people in the country, as well as the world. The group i’d like to analyse is that of the transgender community. I myself as well as people who are dear to me do not identify with the socially “correct” understanding of gender or sexuality. August 14th of this year marks the 15th murder of a trans individual, an all time high. (Time) Subsequently, I’ve witnessed hate, and I now hope to have a clearer understanding through a sociological analysis. Using the theories and tools of thought I will explore discriminatory actions taken against them, how these actions affect their standards of living and even their personal health. Understanding this, then I’d like to speak on what we as a first world are repairing these issue in comparison to other nations.
About .03% of the world's population is transgender. Some transgenders undergo hormonal treatments and special surgeries to alter their sex, others only choose to alter their outer appearance, some even both. "No amount of surgical mutilation of body parts, effeminate behaviors, or artificial female appearances can make a man a woman." Title IX protects the right of transgender students to use locker rooms and restrooms that match their gender identities."How does the “feeling” of a gender dysphoric man take priority over the safety of your wife, daughter, girlfriend, mother, sister or friend." To some it's not obvious to see that telling men he can suddenly decide to “feel” like a woman can lead to sexual assault the breakage of women's privacy
Violence against transgender individuals can occur in many forms whether physical, sexual, verbal, or online violence and oppression. The number of ‘out’ (publicly identifying) transgender males and females rising the platform for hate is also growing despite more widespread understanding. A person who is transgender is someone who identifies as a gender different from their biological sex. This report refers to those who transitioned from female to male as FTM and those who transitioned from male to female as MTF. The term cis is used to represent cisgender individuals who identify with their biological sex.
What does transgender mean? According to dictionary.com transgender is an adjective that means: “denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender”(dicionary.com). In simpler words, a person identifies different with their biological sex. In recent studies, more and more of children under the age of ten have claimed to be transgender or have been diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria. These children claim to be born in the wrong body and have a boy or girl brain (http://www.slate.com), but leading scientists have found that there are no differences in a male and female brain (Francoeur 18).
The homophobic attacks have also increased towards the transgender community. In various cases, the transgender community has been exposed to violence and threats that are risking their safety and existence in the society as well. Most cases arise when the transgender women fail to reveal their real identity before the relationship progresses. In the end, the partner discovers the real truth and is devastated of the exposure. Later, the scenario might even escalate into being violent and the outcome being death or even a heavily injured victim. Most of the cases, such as the one involving Gwen Amber Rose Araujo occurred in the same way since her attackers were not well familiar of her sexuality (Giddens, 2013). Hence, they felt duped when they
In today’s society, there are divides that impede the movement of progress. These divides may disperse around a number of issues that revolve around gender, religion, sexual orientation and education. These divides have created an un-opened minded society that judge people and groups based on the prejudices and stereotypes that treat them differently. In the aspect of identity discrimination, American society plays a big role in keeping those that are different isolated from the rest of the world. Today’s society suffers huge from a spectrum that focuses power on discrimination. In this spectrum, transgender individuals are perceived as people that are most damaging than lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people. Transgendered people are
One of the most complex and diverse populations of people are those categorized as transgender. These people are very often the subject of intense scrutiny, discrimination, ostracism, verbal harassment and even physical assault. These responses to a transgendered person often stems from a lack of understanding, confusion, fear, and anxiety when interacting with these people. In order to understand why people are so unsettled when in the presence of a transgender individual, it is essential to fully understand the term transgender.