When two people are in love and plan on having a family, they look to the future and look at all the wonderful events to come. Yet, they do not think of any negative outcome that may lie in the future. No one likes to think that something different or unexpected can happen to his or her family, but rather image and focus on the great future that is yet to come. However, It seems that people are encountering more conflict with their gender identity and not only the individual but the families as well. This paper will point out how having a child who is gender confused suffers as much as the parents. It is hypothesized that parents who have a transgender child have a hard time accepting the child for who they are because of the negativity that …show more content…
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,
Many transgender people lived in dysfunctional families when they were young. The support becomes vital for the wellbeing of kids. In her book Redefining Realness by Janet Mock, recaps the importance of support from Michelle his cousin, who kept in secrets of gender dysphoria of Charles (Keisha) by saying “‘Pinkie –swear you won’t tell your mom’…She’d keep the secret my secret because I was her favorite cousin” (Mook 76). Michelle, kept Keisha’s secret by allowing her to use her swimming clothes. Michelle shows the importance of support from relatives. This is a fundamental factor that might help with the development of her gender identity. Many transgender people may feel a relief at the time to disclose their identity. When transition is in progress the support from friends and families becomes important because, many transgender people might suffer if they lack support. Many transgender people seem depressed because they are rejected by society. Janet Mock, relates how Wendi, support Charles, by making him feel comfortable, saying “Wendi and I grew inseparable trough middle school, a bond that would link us for the rest of our lives. Through association, my class –mates learned that I was like Wendi-who hadn’t yet adopted any labels to describe her shifting self” (Mook 107). In most cases transgender people’s acquaintances can be referred as transgender people just by friendship. The association makes transgender people to gain confidence about their gender identity. The support from groups or friends makes transgender people feel that they are accepted and not alone. Support from friends might urge transgender people to come out the “closet” and reveal their gender identity to gain respect among society. The support from friends is important, but family support seems to be the most important. When families do not support transgender people it causes a hostile environment that may suppress
Part of the issue that transgenders face is living in a puritanical society that is ignorant, judgmental, and afraid of their sexual choices. This resulted in how her family ultimately related to her, like Jenner’s and the lecturer’s families did. My patient felt alone because she had little contact with her family, mainly her mother and sister. Her father had not talked to her in a couple of years because of his son being transgender. Perhaps, just the thought of his son wanting to be a woman threatened his sense of his own masculinity. The father may have dealt with his own conflicts by ignoring his
Seventy-three transgender children who were allowed to express their gender identity freely, forty-nine of their siblings and seventy-three non-transgender children were involved in the study. None of the transgender children had taken hormone, but they lived freely to express their gender identity. The study measured anxiety and depression levels. For depression levels all the numbers were almost all the same. Anxiety levels for all the children varied. Transgender children had higher levels of depression and anxiety than the siblings or non-transgender children, but the variables were only one or two numbers more. These transgender children were relatively happy with their lives as they were able to live with the gender identity they wanted. Letting transgender live the identity they feel comfortable can improve their mental health in the long run. (“Transgender
According to a study by GLAAD, “…41% of transgender individuals attempt suicide, compared to 1.6 of the general population”. Potential causes are ignorance, lack of a friendly environment at school, and lack of non-discrimination laws and policies for transgender individuals. However, if schools and families would create a safe and discrimination free environment, that acknowledges transgender students and other children. The result would be a culture that teaches students and children to be mindful and respectful. If this happens, then there is potential that discrimination would decrease and social acceptance would increase.
Today Americans should not have to tolerate what we did not have to tolerate some 50 years ago such as transgenders, legalization of marijuana, the attempt of banning personal handguns, and many more unreasonable circumstances because we used to be one of the best countries and don't get me wrong we still are, but we aren't what we used to be. Sure have we done some amazing things, but we have left the door open for so many horrific things to come and take over the nation. Some things that go on as of 2016 in the nation of red, white, and blue just blow my mind. Ten years ago not many people even knew what a transgender was, let alone had to deal with them all the time. Not many people thought weed, a class one narcotic would be legalized either but the country is full of surprises I guess, and also while giving obscured freedoms to those who don't need it they give the rest of us the disadvantage of not being able to carry a weapon, or at least that's what they are attempting.
Living life as a transgendered person is not easy. There are very few times when someone comes out as transgender and their lives are still relatively easy to manage. There are a copious...
Like any other ordinary teenager, I have the desire to be accepted by my peers. However, living in a society that excludes others who do not meet the expectations of norm can make fitting in a challenge; especially towards someone like me, a transgender teen. For the most part, not many people know this about me. Holding me back, with shame I must admit, is the intense fear of being rejected by others. Yet, on a daily basis I must confront this anxiety and risk placing myself in a position where my identity meets constant subjection to someone else’s judgement.
Overall, the LGBT community is a definite subgroup for adolescents who are at risk for suicide. Of a demographic study of 246 youths who identified themselves as being LGBT or unsure, 31.3 % have had a prior suicide attempt history (Liu & Mustanski, 2012). A Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported that individuals who identified as LGBT or had any same-sex sexual contact with another person within the last year were three times as likely as their straight peers to contemplate suicide (American Association of Suicidology, n.d.). However, it is really hard to determine exactly how many of these suicide deaths are related to sexual orientation status, such as LGBT. This is because death certificates do not include gender identity or sexual orientation as a reason for a cause of suicide death (American Association of Suicidology, n.d.). Also, because of the lack of social support many of these individuals who have committed suicide may not have personally came out to anyone about their sexual orientation. Just think of all the suicide deaths that could have been prevented if these ...
Abstract This paper goes covers the history of different races and genders that were once excluded from entry into the military. These groups of people were denied entry based off racism and sexism in most cases. Transgender people have been historically excluded from military service due to enlistment mental health exclusions. Now that transgender people are allowed in the military many current regulations will have to bend to conform to the requirements of transgender service members.
The mental health of individuals in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community is something that is a serious problem. For most of the history of the United States and many different parts of the world LGBT people faced much persecution and in some cases even death. This constant fear of discovery and the pressure that one feels on oneself when “in the closet” can lead to major mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop lifetime mood and anxiety disorders (Bostwick 468). This is extremely noticeable the past couple years in the suicides of bullied teens on the basis of sexual identity and expression. The stigma on simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to cause a person enough mental stress that they would take their own life. This is always unfortunate, but in the case of young individuals it borders on unthinkable. Older LGBT individuals do not tend to fair much better either seeing as they were raised in generations who were stricter on what was considered proper and morally right. All this being said, even as the culture of the world shifts to more accepting LGBT individuals their mental health is something that is only now being looked at thoroughly.
Many of us have been reflecting on questions about intersex and what it actually is. I’ll be explaining the definition of intersex, how common it is the conditions of intersex and what is basically considered to be intersex. Intersex is when a person is born with a sexual anatomy or reproductive system that doesn’t quite fit the description of male or female. Some examples are, a person could be born with an outer appearance as a female but could have male anatomy on the inside. Also a person can be born with what looks to be as both male and female genitals, such as, a boy can be born with a small penis or a scrotum that’s divided forming what can look like a labia or a girl can be born with a very large clitoris or even not having a vaginal opening. Then there’s the gene mix up. A person can be born with mosaic genetics which means that some of her cells have xx chromosomes and some have XY chromosomes.
I often struggle to articulate how and why I became passionate about queer and trans liberation. Throughout high school, I struggled with internalized transphobia. I was never quite content with being transgender, and I was closeted out of violence. There were multiple occasions where I heard classmates make threats about what they would do to a transgender person. Once in my freshman year I was even chased by a boy yelling slurs while I was walking to class, simply because of my gender presentation. I was the only gender diverse person I knew, and I suffered in silence. However, one day when I was 18 I accidentally stumbled upon an application to a transgender youth summit designed for activist. While I was not an activist I attended out of curiosity. What I did
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
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.
A problem-free world is what people desire. This newly created world would bring an end to violence, discrimination, and racism. However, at the same time society apprehends, this will never be feasible. The nation’s population is very diverse in cultures, nationalities, beliefs, and personalities. Some people might consider this diversity a weakness among our nation. However, society will attempt to mold people into what they want them to be. Instead, of letting them be what they wish to be. Among the many individuals fighting for acceptance and respected is the Transgender community. Ads for transgender men and women in the District of Columbia reinforce the Equality Law. Moreover, letting Columbian 's know, discrimination will not be tolerated no matter their past.