Stigma Against Transgender People

A transgender person is someone that makes the decision of their gender identity and it doesn’t match what that person was born with. Transgender people usually feel like they are trapped, living inside the wrong body. In today’s society, being transgender can mean being different and unique because they won’t care what other people think of them. On the other hand, it could also be considered as having a mental disorder to others. According to many surveys taken by transgenders, many of them experience discrimination, unfairness, and sometimes violence. Discrimination towards transgender people continues to happen almost everywhere they go: school, work, and even in public.

Transgender lives can be different from one another depending on how open they are about their sexuality. Once transgenders are open about themselves, they become more confident and vibrant in their “new” body. Sometimes no one can tell that a person is transgender because they could have had surgery to change their appearance or gone through the process of hormone therapy. Hormone therapy is the process by which people gradually change to become more like the opposite sex. Many people aren’t aware of transgenders because gays, lesbians, and bisexuals left them behind in the controversial world. Some people deal with transgenders through violence or discrimination but that doesn’t stop transgenders from being out living their life. A 39-year-old transgender woman, Kiara St. James, works for an organization called “TransJustice” and says, “Rather than make us go into hiding, we are more determined than ever to stand up and be visible.” (Schwirtz). Nothing is stopping the transgender community from becoming more visible in the world.

Transgenders experience d...

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...r Assault?). An assault is carried out by a threat of bodily harm. Wilson walked free with only a $2,000 bail. According to the police, crimes against gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders have raised from 36 crimes in 8 months to 75 crimes in 8 months in the past year. For being transgender, many are physically attacked and in fact, in 2011, 61% of about 6,000 transgender people have been victims of physical violence (Schwirtz).

In summation, there are many solutions to stop discrimination towards transgender but not many are being put into affect. Solutions may include laws, stricter rules, tolerance, and the ability to accept people for who they are. Unfortunately, discrimination towards transgenders is common in many places and an end to it will be up to society. Transgenders are not mentally ill, but it’s how they chose to live the rest of their life.