In today’s society we as humans are aware and accepting of more identities than we ever have been before. Civil rights movements all over the world are advocating for everything from marriage equality, to laws protecting gender-queer people. However, it isn’t perfect. Just as there will always be racists and homophobes, there will always be people who say gender identity is a choice. Well, a study done earlier this year proves those people wrong.
A recent study done at the Medical University of Vienna shows that there is neurological basis in gender-identity and could help to explain why some people’s gender identities don’t match their biological sex. The study, led by Georg S. Kranz, utilized diffusion-based magnetic resonance tomography
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The same goes for any orientation or identity that a person might have. One would hope that this and future studies could help people understand that it is not a choice and in-turn, would lead more people to be accepting of transgender people. This would lead to legal protections, such as protecting people from being fired merely because of their gender identities, to more accommodations for transgender people such as gender neutral bathrooms in public places and gender neutral housing in colleges, and to safer environments for transgender youth to come out in, instead of feeling as though they have to pretend to be something they’re not. Unfortunately, and also as stated before, there will always be bigots in the world and there will always be people who still stubbornly hold on to the belief that gender identity is a choice. Even if studies such as the one summarized above would open everybody’s eyes to the fact that there is no choice involved in gender identity, that will not stop people from believing it is wrong. As amazing and affirming as this study is for transgender people and their allies, I can’t help but worry that in the wrong hands, people will use this to say that being transgender is a mental disorder that needs to be treated. People could use it to justify conversion therapy or, even worse, to develop ways to change the chemical processes in a person’s brain in an attempt to get said person’s brain to conform to their body. That isn’t to say that research shouldn’t be done, simply that we’ll have to be careful about how it is
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.
"A lot of people see gender as very one-sided, girl or boy, but in reality, even the choices of one, the other, both, or neither just don't feel right.” Many people don’t realize that there are more gender identities than just “male” and “female.” In June 2016, The Williams Institute at UCLA estimated that about 1.4 million US adult’s genders don't align with the one they were assigned at birth. One can identify as the opposite gender from their assigned sex, as no gender, as both, or as a unique identity not so easily categorized.
Allowing a child to identify with who they feel they are (meaning transgender) is fine as long as the child is taught about the pain they may experience in a loving way of course. I have seen several 20/20 specials on transgender children and my heart aches for them. I did not like the fact that an early age the parents were taking the children for hormone shots. I think the children our too young to make a life changing decisions and the parents should just love/support them until they are truly old enough to understand the impact on their life. My thoughts were what if the child changes his/her mind. What if the female child grows out of being a tomboy and wants to be a frilly girl. What if the boy is actually bisexual and wants to stay a boy? There were follow-up specials when the child became a teenager as well as specials on transgender adults. I believe the older the child gets the more it is about the child’s sexuality and this is why the parents should wait before starting the sex change
Each day, a new abundance of transgenders are finally identifying as their true self. Even though nothing can stop this flow of transgenders, an accepting, loving, and safe society can encourage more of these individuals to be who they truly are. Instead of shaming these human beings for who they are, our generation needs to worry about our own decisions, and learn to embrace and accept others’ decisions. Truly, this is a problem. Just as anyone else, transgenders deserve to feel safe, accepted, and comfortable at home, school, work, and where they choose to go. After all, we are all human beings,
is not the same as their biological or anatomical sex. This is a disorder also known as Gender Identity Disorder (Understanding Gender,2014).
America was built on the thought of freedom, that anyone could come here and be whomever he or she wanted and do whatever they wanted. However, this standard doesn’t seem to stand still since gay couples are not allowed to fully express this. They are refused the right to marry the one they love, they do not get to participate in one of the most sacred traditions we have. This should change and allow them to marry whomever they please. There are already 33 states that have legalized this right, and there are many others who are recognize it. However, gay marriage should be legal through out all the states because of how marriage can be defined, it doesn’t affect anyone else except who’s in the relationship, and they deserve the legal rights.
Imagine that you had a job where you had to dress, look, and act a certain way but you didn 't like it and had no choice but to remain that way or your boss would get mad and fire you. It is obvious that one would not be happy being like this because it is not who one is but one is scared to go against it because one is afraid to face the consequences. This is about the same thing that transgender individual 's experience where they have not been allowed to become like the opposite sex because society does not allow it. Every individual is different and therefore not everyone will want to accept the sex that they were born with primarily because they feel that it is not the real them. These individuals cannot burst their bubble and demonstrate who they truly are because society is watching their every move and just waiting for the perfect opportunity to come out and punish them. This is supposed to be a free country and because it is the twenty-first century, people should to learn to live with change. I have learned that gender identity is the
Grant, Jaime M., Ph.D., Lisa A. Mottet, J.D., Justin Tanis, D.Min., Jack Harrison, Jody L. Herman, Ph.D., and Mara Keisling. Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Rep. National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011. Web. 22 May 2014.
Why is it that people stereotype males and females no matter what nationality they are? Because we are all the same in the end but the media makes many people think differently. The general public thinks that all females like doing their hair, makeup, dolls and love light colors like color pink. Males on the other hand likes cars, playing video games, sports and like dark colors like blue. Advertisements are gender stereotyping whether people notice or care. Females are mostly openly stereotyped compared to the males because of our lack of abilities that males have. Stereotyping damages both genders but females more than males because of advertisement’s constantly reminding females on how they should act and be like all the time.
The sex and gender binary is a socially-constructed classification of sex and gender into two distinct and biological forms of masculine and feminine. The binary is a restricting concept that enforces the ideology that solely two genders exist—it is a social boundary that limits people from exploring gender identity or mixing it up (Larkin, 2016). As Mann depicts it, the binary constrains us to take on one gender identity, and to follow through with the expected roles assigned to that gender. The implications are that it compels people to fit into the binary and follow the patriarchal, heteronormative traditions of society (Mann, 2012). However, the binary was not always so clear-cut, but certain concepts from scientific research such as the
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...
Identities are an important part of the human experience. One of the many identities that creates a person is gender. Society, being the entity establishing social norms and social roles, plays a part in effecting the individual’s gender, and how they choose to express themself. The underlying or overlying identities also have the same effect. Gender is not only an identity, it is a lifestyle inside and out. Gender, like race, class, and sexuality; is not limited to the binary scale, and that is normal, natural, and human. The concept of gender is man-made, but it forces one’s hand to analyze the thought processes behind an individual's perception on gender through self, through society, or through the dichotomy and/or correspondence of the
There is constantly cessation why women and men cohabitate, nurture, desire, and endure. Many shrug the similarities and differences to the side due to the complex nature that is involved in understanding the progression. Since the beginning of time, according to the bible, man was placed as the dominant sex, fending for the families well being. The woman has tended to the important jobs around the homestead as situations arose. Often in society, one will find himself in a battle depending on the views of the receiving recipients. Following is a dialogue explaining a safe and metro sexual view as a general whole.
Empowerment is the advancement of individual to control the thing that affect its life and make them more aware about the surrounding for healthy participation in decision making related to real life issues. Empowerment of Gender is used to calculate inequality among the gender. Inequality among the gender across the countries is measure by estimating relative participation of women in economic, income, political power and its status in society. It is defined, how much men and women actively contribute in decision making regarding economic and political life. It is more about to strength to do work rather than well being of women and
Women have fought through torture, blood, sweat, and tears to help women stand strong in our