Leelah Alcorn was just a normal teenager, or at least that’s what she thought, but in regards to the people around her thought she was a freak just because she was transgender. Leelah was born a boy, but as she grew older she decided, to change her name from Josh to Leelah, and change her gender identity to a girl. When she came out to her parents, they rejected her transition and sought help to “fix” her. Leelah was tired of all the hate and rejection she received, so she decided to end her life by jumping in front of a semi-tractor truck. This is just one story out of many about transgender people taking their own lives, because of rejection, bullying, and discrimination.
In this research paper, I will be discussing discrimination against
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In 32 states there are no laws to protect transgenders from being discriminated, or from being fired. People can insult them if they want to in public,and dehumanize them if they please to do so without any consequences. Disheartening research from the 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey reveals that 41% of transgender participants (2,644 out of 6,450) had attempted, at some point, to take their own lives(Thapoung). Wouldn’t you want to take your own life if you received all the rejection and hate for just being a transgender? Being discriminated for what you, are even though you’re also a human being, can take a toll on a person’s physical and mental …show more content…
The District of Columbia has laws in place, too, but for 32 states, transgender individuals can still be fired or denied employment for their identity(Thapoung).Meaning that it’s legal for employers to fire, and not hire them just because of what they are; human beings that changed their gender identity. More than four in 10 transgender people (44%) who are currently working are underemployed(Transgender Workers). In one case, Georgia Carter was hired at a KFC restaurant, but when the employers found out through her driver’s license that she was actually born a boy they fired her immediately. Giving an excuse that they fired her, because they didn’t know which bathroom she should use. There are plenty more examples of transgenders being fired, and there are no laws to prevent this from happening.
When transgenders do have a job some experience sexual molestation, and others receive discrimination from fellow employees. A staggering 90 percent of transgender workers report some form of harassment or mistreatment on the job(Burns). Meaning that almost all transgenders experience some form of harassment at a professional place. A place where you go to earn money to support yourself and possibly
Eeoc.gov. "Bathroom/Facility Access and Transgender Employees." Fact Sheet: Bathroom Access Rights for Transgender Employees Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June
Mental health professional have tried to correct their ‘‘gender identity disorder’’ with brutal aversion therapies. Tran’s youth who came out often faced crises throughout their family and social systems. Once out, developing a sense of realness about their new gender became extremely important. An urgent need develops ‘‘to match one’s exterior with one’s interior’’ In ad...
In order to answer whether transgender children be allowed to use the restroom they identify with I would first like to identify what transgender means. According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary “The Medical Definition of TRANSGENDER.: of, relating to, or being a person (as a transsexual or a transvestite) who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person 's sex at birth.” I believe the knowing what transgender means is important because there are misconceptions about someone being transgender. This definition is also important as it helps support the pros and cons of my argument. I was confused about transgender individuals before doing research for this paper. However, based on the article “From Jack to Jill:
When a transgender person uses the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity, it boosts well-being. It is legal to for transgender individuals to use whichever bathroom they feel to be is more beneficial. Many schools and states are trying to appeal this law. When the South Dakota House of Representatives were faced with the option to veto this law they chose to keep the law in place (“South Dakota House”). New York has also reinforced transgender individual’s right to choosing a bathroom (“New York mayor”).
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.
In all these stages in life, there can be isolation, hiding and secrets, which may lead to depression and anxiety. Transgender adults are much more likely to have suicidal thoughts, with 50% of adults reporting some suicidal ideation. It has been observed that there are two paths that people take early on: either one tries to hide their inner feeling of being the wrong gender and “passes” for what looks like a boy or girl, or one is incapable of hiding and presents as either a tom-boyish girl or a feminine boy. Either path comes with problems for one’s emotional development. The second scenario is that a person may opt to present as gender non-conforming and is known to elicit harsh responses from society. This is true for non-transgender
In recent years 18 states have enacted laws to help protect transgender and non – binary people, but there are still some states unwilling to get with the program. Kentucky State Sen. C.B. Embry Jr. introduced a bill that seeks to ban transgender students from using school bathrooms that match their gender identity, it would also enable students to sue schools for $2,500 if they encounter a transgender peer using what they perceive to be the wrong restroom. (unsure how to site). In Florida there is a law going though the process that states
Government agencies such as the Affordable Care Act law defines no sexual discrimination including gender identity, transgender status prohibits majority of insurance companies and healthcare providers from refusing to cover transition-related treatments or using incorrect pronouns under the law. However, the greatest effect can only occur when we — as an American society — change our paradigm. What we can do to help to contribute the changes of degrading experience for many LGBT people in healthcare setting are educating ourselves and creating more awareness in general public to ensure that everyone needs to be treated equally whoever they are. We should be more open-minded to create a welcoming and acceptable workplace environment inclusive of all trans people, to prevent transgender from getting reluctance to reveal their sexual orientation or gender identity to their health providers by training on the full scope of this minority group health in medical schools, and to keep fighting for the state-laws to ensure equality in for transgender individuals in the public utilities and services since only almost half of U.S. states discriminating against transgenders is considered
Transgender Today Nowadays, there are lot of unexpected changes coming in our lives every day which are challenging to our society. Gender issues are one of the hot topics among new changes. Transsexuality is a critical part of this gender issue. After reading the article “Night to his day” by Judith Lorber, I found a clarification regarding the social construction of gender. While looking for some facts about transgender, I have also found a lot of articles with different points of views from researchers, scientists and individuals who have transformed from their origin to transgender men/women.
Because America views gender in only two categories, people who upset the binary are subject to mass discrimination by members of the general public, causing them to lose their homes, jobs, or life savings. For example, in a study of Northeastern business students, 34 percent gave a hostile response when approached with a situation regarding a transgender employee. Each student was given the same scenario where a female employee was uncomfortable sharing the bathroom with a male-to-female transitioning co-worker. Of the 194 students, only 27 percent gave an inclusive response, making all restrooms gender neutral (Rudin 726). The study exemplifies how transgender individuals are misunderstood and discriminated against in the workforce and even in the broader society. It is shown that transgender people are more mentally secure when they exist in a society that accepts their identity. Michael, a transgender man, cites the importance of support networks and the assistance that comes with it. His mom is “still pretty hostile about” his gender identity, which has affected his life negatively and has made it harder for him to talk to her openly (Dentice
Transgender people can get refused to see a doctor, just because they are transgender. A study of how transgender people have been discriminated against by medical providers was done and the study showed: “Nineteen percent had been refused treatment by a doctor or other provider because of their transgender or gender non-conforming status” (). Broken down by race, the ethnic group that was refused the most was: American Indian (36%), Multi-Racial (27%), Hispanic (22%), Black (19%), White (17%), Asian (15%) and then 19% (Total Sample). Not only can they be refused medical treatment, but doctors and medical professionals can be verbally abusive as well! “Over one quarter of respondents (28%) reported verbal harassment in a doctor’s office, emergency room or other medical setting and 2% of the respondents reported being physically attacked in a doctor’s office”.
Transsexual individuals face many hardships with discrimination because their identity overlaps. They fight a battle everyday dealing with bias and discrimination, which negatively impacts their lives. Transgender women of color are particularly targeted and are left in vulnerable positions. Race, gender, social class, gender identity, etc. are a few of the many reasons these women face threats. The African American community and women of color face much more violence and discrimination. They have multiple identities and are not just one
Transgender Employment Experience is an inside look at what goes behind the doors of being transgender. The book is about transgender life experience at work by stories of discrimination and harassment and to know the policies that might work or not in having a healthy working environment. Kyla Bender-Baird focus on analyzing the experience of twenty transgender people around the United States. That includes both feminine and masculine spectrum in her sample and she carefully thought about her participant identity, confidentiality and diversity in regards of sexual Orientation, age, income, and Career or occupation. Every Book about the transgender study have limitations because of few data available on transgender especially in this book that
Florida’s, Texas’s and Kentucky’s new proposed bathroom laws have “caused fear and dismay among transgender people around the country” (Tannehill). Kentucky laws are more focused on the school systems but Florida 's and Texas’s laws treat transgenders as if they were criminals. Both of these states have regulations that will give transgenders civil and or criminal charges for using the bathroom they identify with (Tannehill). A transgender could be charged a fine for using the wrong bathroom and “people who report a transgender people in the bathroom to claim civil damages, for example a bounty” (Tannehill). Florida and Texas are trying to look out for the best interest of the majority population, however, “we all have to use the bathroom, but these laws would seemingly force transgender people to choose between fines and jail, risking horrific violence or leaving the state” (Tannehill). These laws have been seen as unreasonable to the transgender community and have been fought by the ACLU lawyer Joshua Block, “We’re talking about people who also have their sense of privacy and modesty, and who are not going to want to have everyone see an anatomical part of themselves that they feel should never have been there in the first place,” (Marcus). It has also been found that it’s illegal for employers to carry out such rules, “The Equal Employment
However, it has not been until the past century that transgender individuals have been able to act upon their feelings and work toward changing to their preferred sex. They can now seek medical interventions through hormone replacement pills and/or sex reassignment surgery to fulfill their needs and happiness. Transgender individuals who undergo a sex change are sometimes referred to as transsexuals but these terms are often interchanged in articles and society. A very current and well publicized example of this is Bruce Jenner, a men’s decathlon Olympian winner, who recently underwent a sex reassignment surgery and is now known as Caitlyn Jenner. She states that her “brain is much more female than male” (Sieczkowski, 2015). She has flourished with her new identity and now has her own reality TV show to share her experiences and life with the world. Bruce Jenner’s coming out with his identity issue and him changing into a woman has opened doors for many people dealing with gender identity problems. But the harsh reality is that not everyone has the transition as easy as her. There are many controversies and prejudices that go along with transgenderism and transsexualism. Religious people believe that a transgender is going against what God had