The Construction of Suicide and Murder of Transgender People as a Social Issue Transgender people face discrimination and disenfranchisement in most walks of life. Wage equality is non-existent, fair medical treatment is difficult to find, housing is discriminatory and dangerous, and employment is openly prejudiced. One of the main issues facing transgender people today are the disproportionately high rates of suicide and murder within the transgender population. In this instance, all forms of violence, from self and from others, stems from the prejudice and hatred the color the experiences of transgender people in America. Between 42 and 46 percent of transgender people have attempted suicide in their lifetime (AFSP, 2014), compared to about …show more content…
Before a problem of excessive violence and disenfranchisement experienced by transgendered people could be acknowledged, first the group itself had to be publicly and politically recognized. Culturally, transgender people were known to exist, and surely experienced both violence and self-harm, but their activity was hidden, ignored, or otherwise disguised. The true roots of the transgender movement began to take hold, in a small, but important way, in the 1850's. Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, was perhaps the first openly gay, probably transgender, advocate for homosexuality and transgender people, and was one of the first in recorded history to study and write on alternative sexuality (Wingfield, 1995). One of the main concepts Ulrichs wrote on was the third-sex, a “feminine soul confined by a masculine body” (Ulrichs, 1864-1880). While Ulrichs did not coin the term “homosexual” or “transgender,” he set a precedent for the study of homosexuality. Most importantly in Ulrichs' work are his accounts that “detail the ill treatment – legal, religious, and social – of homosexuals, and intolerance that, according to the author, caused emotional stress, ruined reputations, and even drove some to suicide” (Wingfield, 1995). The recognition that social, religious, and political damnation and stigma could damage the emotional health of homosexuals and transgender individuals was the …show more content…
Transgender people remark, often, that they must negotiate their lives based on how likely a situation is to put them in danger. Similarly, the social stigma, discrimination, and hatred transgender people are likely to face based on their gender transition puts them at great risk for suicide. After Rita Hester was murdered in Massachusetts in 1998, the transgender community rose up to draw attention to the many murders of transgender people and allies. This manifested itself in the “Remembering Our Dead” project, and the establishment of Transgender Day of Remembrance. Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) marks a turning point in which the violence and self-harm associated with being transgender became a part of the public consciousness. Officially, TDOR represents only those killed by anti-transgender hate violence (TDOR, 2015), but it widely considered to be a time for mourning and remembering those lost to suicide and HIV as well. TDOR is not a widely practiced day, but it does mark the importance this social issue is now given by society. The establishment of TDOR shows that “transgender issues are now clearly at the cutting edge of the social justice agenda” (Stryker, 2009). This is not to say that progress has been accomplished and success has been had. In a report in 2013 by the Anti-Violence Project, it was found that “Of those reporting, transgender survivors were particularly
The medicalization of transgender tendencies, under what was Gender Identity Disorder, was demoralizing to all transgender people. This resulted in a form of structured and institutionalized inequality that made an entire group of people internalize their problems, making them question not only their own identity, but also their sanity. Therefore, the removal of this disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 2013 and the newest editions was important in that it shows society’s recognition and acceptance of the transgender
Hate violence is a predominant issue against transgender women who wish for acceptance from society. Individuals believe they have the right to perform violence against these transgender women because of who they are. For example, in the novel Stone Butch Blues, Jess Goldberg is physically a women but prefers to live life as a male. Since Jess chooses to live life as a male, or butch, she is frequently a target of policeman and other individuals because of her identity. The society views Jess as a criminal because during the 1960’s homosexuality was illegal and it was considered a mental disorder. Apparently, our society has made much more progress today against transgender women, but they still face a multitude of hate violence. A major example
Gay male, lesbian, and transsexual networks/communities, and cultural practices often had their own differences that coincided with meshing similarities. From the late 1940s to the 1960s, these identities were shaped through experiences of “the closet” and living a “double life,” among other factors. Alan Berubé explores the war’s impact on homosexual identity, speaking for both gay males and lesbians in “Marching to a Different Drummer: Lesbian and Gay GIs in World War II.” In “We Walk Alone,” Ann Aldrich helps identify the varying types of lesbians, addressing their intimate relationships with each other that are becoming more visible. Harry Benjamin touches more on the medical and scientific side of transsexualism and the obvious fact that
The news article I studied is from March 12th 2014 and found in the Fashion and Style section of The New York Times. Its title is “In their Own Terms- the growing transgender presence in Pop culture.” This article outlines the culture surrounding transgender and transgender situations in the United States, whilst following the lives and transformations of some known citizens of pop culture.
Transgendered people in America have made many great strides since the 1990s. They have encountered violence, lack of health care, and the loss of homes, jobs, family and friends. There have been many phases of the struggle of being transgendered in America over the years. The current phase we must be in now is equal rights. There are many variations of discrimination against the transgendered community. In our society we simply do not like what we do not understand. It is easier to discriminate than to try and understand. We are all created different and we should appreciate our differences. The change must come by addressing the views of the public. There is much justification in the unequal rights of transgendered peoples. The Human Rights Campaign has been started to achieve equal rights for all Americans including the LGBQ community. A serious injustice is in the world of sports. Professional sports are one of societies major traditions totally based on rules and regulations that are meant to preserve the integrality of the games, but may not be inclusive to all its players.
Throughout history people who manifested an attraction for others of the same sex usually have gone through a lot of maltreatments, discrimination, and have often been regarded as “sexual deviants.” Relationships between people of the same sex have been present since the beginning of history. Their lives have not always been easy, because they have been persecuted and sometimes even forced to go through a psychiatric evaluation. At the same time, in order to gain their rights and dignity, they had to take their fight to the legal system because as George Chauncey, a professor of history at Yale University mentioned, “although most people recognize that gay life was difficult before growth of the gay movement in the 1970s, they often have only the vaguest sense of why: that gay people were scorned and ridiculed, made to feel ashamed, afraid, and alone” (290). However, discrimination and maltreatment were not the only reasons homosexuals had to take their struggle to the courts. An American professor of history at Yale University, who has testified in a number of gay rights cases, has exposed the ins and outs of the legal system in the second half of the twentieth century. During this time, a great number of states had created laws, which authorized the indefinite detention of homosexuals in mental institutions, and conditioned their release upon proving that they were cured from homosexuality (Chauncey 294). This past history, together with studies conducted by some prestigious institutions have lead society to understand that the right to homosexual marriage is economically, ethically, and morally correct, because it would benefit the economy and society by increasing the federal budget and creating a legal status for homosexual c...
Nevertheless, what is it that drives these numbers to be so high and how can it be prevented? This is caused by individuals being bullied for being different and becoming the outcast in society. Grossman did an experiment Transgender Youth and Life-Threatening Behaviors this experiment was based off of a four questions (1) what is the history of life-threatening behaviors among transgender youth? (2) Do parental reactions to the youths’ gender nonconformity and transgender identity relate to youths’ life- threatening behaviors? (3) Do youths’ feelings about the appearance of their bodies, or body esteem, relate to life-threatening behavior? (4) What are the differences between the transgender youth who had engaged in life-threatening behaviors? This experiment showed that parents indeed did have a big part in the child’s life. They wanted acceptance from their parents with caused an internal conflict if they individual should keep on going with a lie or what he or she felt they were meant to be. These questions were not easy to answer but showed how this lead to being bullied, harassed, depression that was followed by pill and in some cases suicide. This study showed that almost half of transgender youth though about taking their lives at one point (Grossman, 2007). Also when looking for that person for comfort weather it was a parent or teacher there were less thoughts and actions of suicide compared to the ones who did not have support and were abused emotionally of physically. Other studies show that when an adolescent experiences some sort of homophobic teasing, they began to question who they were leading them to feel confused about themselves and resulting in high depression and suicidal rates (Ruehl,
Such as finding acceptance by yourself and others, and having gender dysphoria, the confusion and anxiety that comes when your gender feels undecided. Gender dysphoria can become particularly severe during puberty. To make the dysphoria even worse, there can be significant stress given by society for people to follow gender roles and binaries, which can make “labeling” your gender even more difficult. All of these stereotypes are often used by many people, making it hard to find someone to accept you for who you are, which could result in depression. For non-cisgender people of races other than white, it can be even more difficult to find people willing to accept your identity. The rate of transgender suicide attempts is about 9 times the amount of the rest of Americans. About 40% of trans people have tried to kill
Injustice at Every Turn: A Report from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Rep. National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011. Web. The Web. The Web.
It is very reasonable to conclude that research on depression of those who identify as gay, lesbian or transsexual is not accurate; there is an underreporting of people who identify as these sexual orientations because of the fear of being different. It is understood that those apart of the LGBTQ community actively hide their identity in hopes to avoid being rejected or abused (Bird, 2013). Once the reporting issue of having a smaller percentage of the actual representation of the LGBTQ population is put aside, there is evidence that highly suggests that lesbians and gay men are at higher risk for psychiatric disorders than heterosexuals (Cochran, 2001). Even after underreporting, there is still enough information to conclude that sexual discrimination can have harmful effects on the quality of life. Common factors that have been observed in lesbians and gays that can potentially increase depression during Cochran's study are anxiety and mood disorders and decreased self esteem. Cochran and her partner also noted that dissatisfaction with how one is treated beca...
“Qualitative study that paints a picture of what life is like for transgender people, Wyss (2004) interviewed seven transgender high school students and asked them about their experiences at school. … Many report that not just other students harassed them but that people they even considered friends would either help or join with assailants during physical attacks. Two of the students were set on fire in school. There were also constant threats of sexual assault, or coercive sex, or physical assault, both verbal threats and notes left in lockers.”
Currently the citizens living in the United States are imprisoned within the binary of two genders. It is only acceptable for a person to identify as a male or a female. Depending on the gender the person identifies, as there is an expectation of how that person should look and act. The person identifying as the specific gender, must maintain the gender norms that are in place. These gender binaries are so prevalent in our lives; it is to the point where a large group of Americans are being overlooked. This group of Americans identifies as transgender, which means they do not fit society’s expectations of how a specific gender should look and behave. (gaycenter.org, 2012). The trans population does not fit the expected gender molds that are
This story caused a lot of controversy but got people thinking about the transgender community and the importance to
In the United States, more than 700,000 people have identified themselves as transgender. These statistics include people of all ages from the children to the elderly. In several surveys conducted in U.S. schools, several children were identified as transgender. For instance, in a 2015 survey in Dane County, 1.5% of the students were transgender (Hoffman). With the revelation, there is a call for unisex bathrooms to accommodate all these students. For example, a nine-year-old student was denied access to the female bathroom in Queensland (Hosking and Sun). This shows that transgender people sometimes go through a hard time; especially in societies where being a transgender has not been accepted. Statistics show that transgender people often become victims of bullying. For instance, 22 women were murdered in 2015 due to being transgender (Goodyear). Additionally, a report by The National Transgender Discrimination Survey shows that more than 40% of transgender people have attempted suicide because of the lack of acceptance in the society (Grant, Mottet, and Tanis 2). Although unisex bathrooms will not eliminate transphobia, it will be a start to ensuring their acceptance in the future. Stereotypes associated with transgender people will be crushed at an early age, giving an opportunity for their acceptance in the
It’s upsetting to know that there are so many trans-phobic people out there who believe gender is natural and bash people of trans simply because they do not conform to society’s gender expectations. It’s important to realize that transgender people are no different from you and I they are humans just like the rest of society. It is also interesting to note a lot of people get uptight and uncomfortable when the topic of transgender comes up .Our society is so ignorant when it comes to the topic of sexuality and