When Should Transgender Identification Begin - Youth or Adulthood

In Susan Stryker’s (De)Subjugated Knowledges, she culminates a history of academic attention to transgender studies; tracking the field’s movement from abnormal psychology to its contemporary form of self-analysis and discourse (by which I mean that rather than being discussed by those outside of the trans community, transgender voices are now leading their own academic discussions). At a basic level, Stryker defines transgender studies as that which:

Transgender youth are children and adolescents who consider themselves transgender or transsexual. Transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs. Transgender youth face different challenges compared to adults and other hetereosexual youth. Transgender issues can arise at different times in life and be experienced differently for each individuals. Many of these children experience rejection as a result of their differences and quickly attempt to repress them creating self hate and isolation. People may see these children regularly and be unaware that they are unhappy as members of their assigned gender by birth.

Discussion of issues related to non-normative sexual and gender identities as related to mental health began in the 19th century (Drescher, 2010). Initially medical and psychiatric providers viewed issues related to gender identity as resulting from delusional thought processes (Drescher, 2010). As a result the concept of surgery as a solution to gender identity differences was viewed as unnecessary and ultimately an incorrect form of treatment (Drescher, 2010). In 1952 the first gender reassignment surgery was performed in Denmark on an American citizen (Drescher, 2010). The publicity in the American media that followed this surgery brought the concept of gender identity to the public eye. During the 1960s research about gender identity started to develop and it was the work of Money, Stoller, Benjamin, and Green that ultimately change professional and public concept of Gender Identity (Drescher, 2010). These four individuals were among the first to conduct clinical and academic research on gender identity and gender roles (Drescher, 2010). As a result of their research beliefs about non-normative gender identity shifted from a problem of the mind to a biological disorder that was fixed and should be treated with

In class, we have learned and discussed how during the period of adolescence, it is known that this is the period of time where individuals are finding themselves and figuring out where they belong. It is during this time where individuals are the most sensitive and personal problems tend to arise more commonly during this stage. A major issue adolescents struggle during this stage is gender identity and sexuality. Adolescents are trying to figure out who they are attracted to and how they perceive themselves to be. While the norm is to identify oneself as their biological gender, there are those who develop gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is a reoccurring feeling that one’s biological gender is the opposite of one’s sexual identity (Cole,

This article will immensely add to my paragraph on childhood gender roles. "Children 's Gender Identity Development: The Dynamic Negotiation Process Between Conformity and Authenticity” provides evidence that child are indeed aware of the stereotypes that come with gender, and allow that knowledge to effect their everyday lives.

If we start discussing the various gender identities at an early age in schools, perhaps it will help to resolve the isolation that these individuals feel. It will not change everyone’s views, but we can start the discussion early on in hopes that we can have a better understanding and become more compassionate. After all, we don’t choose to be who we are, that is decided while we are still in our mother’s womb. We should all be free to live our lives the way that we want

Hypothesis: If children age 3-4 are given a choice to surround themselves with who they please, then the child will lean towards those of his or her gender.

Along with the development perspectives and social implications. Miller, develops an argument that gender identity can be “fruitfully explored” as a personality process. Some of the topics discussed include gender identity as a personality process; the intersection of gender and sexual identity development in a sample of transgender individuals; gender dysphoria; representations of teachers about the relation between physical education contents and gender identities; and common hypothetical etiology of excess and exposure in female-to-male transsexualism and polycystic ovary

An eclectic use of both of these theories would enhance our understanding of gender development because it is important to understand that biology and socialization play a part in gender development. Hormones, sexual organs, culture, and society intertwine and make a child aware of his or her gender. A cognitive understanding does not suffice. For example, for parents who believe that culture, school, peers, and media influence their son or daughter to be transgender are incorrect. Both of these theories demonstrate that biologically their child was born with the awareness that they belong to a different sex; it is embedded in their chromosomes. Meanwhile, society simply enabled them to observe the gender roles and determine which gender they felt most comfortable in.

Butch, masculine, lesbians have frequently been compared with femme, feminine, lesbians through multiple research surveys and studies (L. Zheng and Y. Zheng 186-193, Rosario, Schrimshaw, Hunter, and Levy-Warren 34-49). In L. Zheng and Y. Zheng's study, most butch lesbians report more gender nonconformity throughout their childhood and adulthood; a great number of them experienced uncertainty about their gender identity (186-193). Similarly, research on trans men explains how the majority of them struggle through gender nonconformity mostly before their transition: oftentimes, they are labeled as

Nowadays, there is this societal pressure the minute a child claims to be a member of a different sex, we are supposed to reinforce this claim and not suspect anything of it. For example, Kyle, said he found out that he was transgender from a YouTube video he watched when he was younger. This statement demonstrates how malleable children are when faced with complex situations. Furthermore, it’s possible that gender confusion can be created by environment or exacerbated by

As we know transgenderism has been around for quite some time now. Tracking back to way before 1998 when the transgender day was established. This day is on November 20th and it was established in order to have a day of remembrance for those people of the gay, lesbian, and straight community who have suffered from either physical abuse, assault, or both. Researchers of psychological advancements have discovered many new things about this rising issue or as a psychologist would call it a “disorder” with in the specific community in this case the LGBT community. However during the research many questions were asked by the American Psychology Association. Questions such as how the transgender community

Gender issues have recently hit the surface pretty hard and has made life changing impacts, nationally. Some political topics have been on same-sex marriage and restrooms for transgendered students. The nation is divided in regards to gender issues. The recent awareness has forced the government to step in and back up laws that are for and against these issues. Analyzing our lives on a daily basis seems easy, but after reading The Gender Trap: Parents and Pitfalls of Raising Boys and Girls by Emily Kane, I didn't realize how much I actually gender my children and how it could affect them in the future. Interviews

At the core of this stage we see the child begin to learn about other people around them and the roles they play, as children often learn by mimicking or copying they begin to do that with the same sex role models according to Freud, although in the modern world this is not so clear-cut as there are many single-sex parents and same-gender parents raising families, which back then would not have been accepted. However, as the child becomes more aware of their genitals they will become increasingly curious about sexual differences.

Argued in Eckert and McConnell-Ginet (2003:15), living up to our gender is learning through a life-long process of socialization. Further supported in Kulick and Schieffelin (2006:352), one’s gender emerges over a lifetime through interactive process in which one accepts, rejects, or modifies the cultural and gender norms they are socialized in. These two arguments supported the idea of this essay’s research question in which cultural and social factors do contribute to gendering an individual, and in turn implicating the creation of a boundary that exclude transgenders from the society.