Transgender Rights Are Human Rights
The Merriam- Webster definition for the term, “Transgender,” is defined as, “ of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth; especially of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity is opposite the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth. Such a term has been coined since the 1980’s as a way to give meaning to a new, and unknown spectrum in which many felt threatened by. The rise of a new and intricate community, sparked confusion and ignorance for those who felt as if their beliefs both theologically and biologically speaking, were challenged. As a society that has relied heavily on the notion that only two sexes/ genders were created or existed because the, “man & woman,” need one another for the sake of reproduction, we have allowed
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The article, “Trans People Are People,” uses Sen. Orrin Hatch’s response to Donald Trump’s claim to ban transgender people from the military, to enlighten the general American population when he says, “I don’t think we should be discriminating against anyone. Transgender people are people, and they deserve the best we can do for them.” Senator Hatch briefly emphasizes that we should not struggle to grant those we do not understand, respect and the best treatment possible, especially, those who possess the mental capacity to excel in society as would most people. To live in a society where we like to believe that all human beings are created equal, but still struggle to condemn discrimination against people who are being true to who they are, makes it seem as if we are all entitled to the luxuries of belonging and respect, but some are more entitled than
For instance, sociologists would argue that characteristics of the male gender in a given society include independence, and dominance whereas females express more passive behavior. Gender identity, on the other hand is an individual’s sense of their gender or in other words, their sense as to whether they are feminine or masculine. Therefore, transgender is a term related to “people whose gender identity is different from the gender commonly socially assigned to them on the basis of their biological sex” (Morrow & Messinger, 2006, p. 7).“Biological theories assume that gender should be consistent with biological sex and there are only two genders and two sexes” which does not correspond to transgender people. Furthermore, transgender is also used as a general term to include people such as transsexuals and cross-dressers
There is a great deal of confusion around this word because of the meaning behind it. There are two generally accepted root meanings of the word “trans” in transgenderism: across and beyond (Lund, 2012, p.8). In the case of gender nonconformists, this refers to the “beyond” definition, where they view themselves outside of the binary structure of male and female. The “across” meaning applies to those that do not believe they were born on the correct side of that line and seek to cross it, usually physically while some choose to simply self-identify. At the turn of the century, psychologists said at least 2% of American children feel this sense of “being born in the wrong body”, and with the U.S. Census of 2000 reporting over eighty thousand citizens under the age of 20, that means almost two thousand children fell into this group (Part Six: Transgender in America, 2001, p.75). While there has been a great deal of progress as far as resources and options for these “crossing” trans individuals, there have also been a lot of
In the western society, one of the core values is traditional gender roles. We expect everyone to identify as the sex they were born as, and accept the gender roles that are placed upon us, such as that men have to act in a masculine and dominate behavior and women have to be sensitive and lady like. Although, not only are these social expectations wrong, but they are also harmful to anyone who does not conform to a gender binary. Yet, many people are uninformed on what a non-gender conformist is, it is anyone who’s gender does not match the sex they were born as (ex: transgender man or woman, non-binary, gender queer). Also, any person whose identity matches the sex they were born as is known as cisgender. In consequence to this, many people who are not accepting of other genders than cisgender, will often show prejudice or discrimination to any gender nonconformist (transphobia). Not only is transphobia intolerant, but it often causes psychological damage and physical harm to many transgender people.
However, an umbrella term, or a word that covers more than one specific topic, such as transgender, does not only describe people who identify as the opposite sex; it also describes people who identify with both male and female genders, people who identify as genderless, or people who fluctuate between two or more genders. Many transgender people often refer to themselves simply as “trans.” Transgender does not define one’s sexual orientation, however; gender is considered a social construct while sexuality is not.
Transgender is an umbrella term, meaning an individual’s gender-identity does not align with their assigned sex at birth. Although transgender is a protected class in eighteen states, these individuals still face discrimination within the country and around the world (“Non-Discrimination Laws”). Transgender is not a lifestyle, no one chooses to live their life constantly being discriminated against. Transgender issues should be more educated on and their lives should be more protected.
“The federal government and almost every state recognize transgender people’s right to change their name and to have identification documents with the gender marker that matches their gender identity.” (Jami Kathleen Taylor, 2007) There are a lot of misconceptions on what the meaning of transgender is, some think that they only become the person whether it is male to female, or female to male after surgery. What people fail to realize is that every transgender person transitions in their own way.
Transgender is defined by Wikipedia as, “the state of one's gender identity (self-identification as woman, man, neither or both) or gender expression not matching one's assigned sex.” The article explains how a transgender individual may define themselves as having the characteristics that are normally associated with a particular gender but will choose to identify elsewhere on the gender continuum. It use’s the love story of Rhys Ernst and Zackary Drucker as an example. It took five years for Zackary to transition from male to female and Rhys from female to male. But both truly believe that they were born the wrong gender, and choose to correct this wrong with hormone treatments, surgery and personality changes that to the more tradition eye may seem absurd and abnormal. This is one of the main reason such transgender couples are talking about their transformations. To beach this gap between transgender’s and the rest of the population. It is believed that by educating society, we are more likely to accept something than if we do not fully understand the parameters that surround such an issue.
Over the course of this paper, we will take a comprehensive look at information regarding the transgender community issue in reference to four key sociology concepts. First, we will review information highlighting how transgender people come to the forefront of the public eye as well as the bathroom uproar continuously sweeping the nation. Next, we will examine the facts showcasing how transgender people go against the social norm of associating gender with a person’s given birth sex. Thirdly, we will review information showcasing the cultural inconsistencies throughout the nation when it comes to the acceptance of transgender people. Fourthly, the material will showcase the actions transgender people must face in several states throughout
Clinically speaking, a person who was assigned female at birth but identifies and lives as a man is referred to as a transsexual man, or transman, or female-to-male (FTM); a male-to-female (MTF) person is a transsexual woman or transwoman (Glicksman). Some people drop the transgender label after they have transitioned to their new gender. However, they want to be referred to only as a man or a woman. But what if our gender identity, our sense of being a boy or being a girl, does not match our physical body? From a very early age we will start to feel increasingly uncomfortable. For some this is a mild discomfort, for others it is so traumatic they would rather die than continue to live in the wrong body. Unfortunately as transsexual people are a small minority of the population the condition has been labeled by Psychiatrists as "Gender Identity Disorder". With the transgendered, the disordered assumption is that the
Controversy has spread and gone around the world for so many years and especially recently. The question bears, should transgendered people use the bathrooms based on their gender that is on their birth certificate or the gender they identify with? Based on many opinions and a lot of stories people debate online or in person whether this should or should not be a thing. Many stories lie with people talking of harassment and other negative situations, yet people still do not agree with some statements. A story from a student follows the lines of the issues dealing with bathroom rights states, “Greenlee is a transgender student, who was born a female, but has taken on a male identity since the beginning of freshman year. ‘I had no bathroom that I could go to,’ Greenlee said. ‘The bathroom that I'm going to now is a storage unit" (koamtv.com). Transgendered people should be allowed to use the bathrooms in which gender they
No one wants to feel like they do not belong or like they are not cared for. Transgender people are just like everyone else and deserve to be treated equally to cisgendered people. According to Sam Killerman, being transgendered means living "as a member of a gender other than that expected based on sex assigned at birth." This definition is extremely important because a transgender person is still a person.
When an individual identifies themselves as transgender, it means that they feel that their biological gender does not match with their psychological gender. To put that into a simple man’s term, the individual feels they “were born in the wrong body”. For example, a man feels that he was meant to be born a woman and vise-versa. It does sound rather unusual, but why should that matter? An individual should be able to make his or her own decisions about how they live their life. Unfortunately though, not everyone feels the same way about this. That is how the controversy is created. This is why transgender rights should be strengthened in America not only because it is morally correct, but also because it would ease the lives of the people within this group, reduce the discrimination and harassment rates of transgender individuals, and help establish awareness.
Transsexuals, defined simply is a person who from the very core of there being feels like they are in the wrong orientation and transgenderism is that state of being when one's gender doesn't match those feelings. In the case of transgender children they usually feel like god made a mistake and in some case scenarios boys particularly try to alleviate the situation themsel...
Statistically, 0.3-0.5% of individuals in the United States (approx. 700,000 people) identify themselves as transgender and global estimates provide similar percentages (Gates, 2011). Studies conducted regarding transgender individuals show that this class of people suffer from unusually high physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, as well as discrimination in housing and employment (Patel, 2013). Patel (20...
Transgendered individuals face an incredible amount of hardships due to their identity. So what exactly does it mean to be transgendered? According, to Human Rights Campaign transgender is an umbrella term for individuals whose gender identity differs from what was assigned to them at birth it is about their gender identity. Transgender deals with gender identity; being born female or male at birth, but identifying with the opposite gender assigned at birth. The acts of violence against transgender individuals are extreme and hard breaking. People of trans continue to face discrimination and oppression on a daily basis. People of trans are often neglected by society and sometimes even by their own loved ones. Additionally, the suicide rate among the trans community is very high due to bullying and rejection they face.