Born This Way There are many children throughout the United States that identify themselves as transgender. According to Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of transgender is (n.d.) “of, relating to, or being a person (as a transsexual or transvestite) who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person’s sex at birth”
(sect. Definition of transgender). Basically, that definition translates to a person being born one gender, but identifying themselves as a different one based off of the way they feel. There has been considerable testimony from the transgender population to support that they do not choose this for themselves, but instead have an innate sense that they are the opposite gender of how they are born. Why would a person choose to be transgender when every day they face a lack of acceptance and sometimes out right contempt? Americans tend not to accept the transgender community because they cannot relate to the transgender experience or do not understand what makes a person transgender. Faced with this lack of acceptance, many transgender children grow up with mental instability and depression. This is due to the stress of hiding who they are, or due to open ridicule when they don’t hide who they truly are. In some cases, transgender children are not even accepted by their own family, and they are basically forced to act in accordance with the gender they were born. In extreme cases, these
Transgender is ‘an umbrella term that refers to those with identities that cross over, move between,or otherwise challenge the socially constructed border between the genders. While this can include medical or social transition, it may not.’ There is a difference between transgenders and transsexuals. Transsexuals do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth and wish to ‘correct’ their gender through the use of medical intervention. These two terms however, are nearly synonymous in our culture and we tend to refer to people who wish to live as a different gender than the one they were assigned when they were born as transgenders, since the term is broader and more recognizable.
Did you know that more than 50% of transgender minors have admitted to attempting suicide? How about that 82% of transgender youth feel unsafe or scared at school? These statistics are high, too high. Transgender is defined as of, relating to, or being a person who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person's sex at birth, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary. Years ago it was considered bad to be transgender, but our society has become more open-minded, leading to the coming outs of many more transgender minors. However, while it seems as though we are more open-minded, transgender youth are still being mistreated, to a point where suicide sometimes seems like the only good
Transgender is a metaphorical umbrella term that covers a person whose self-identification, anatomy, appearance, manner, and/or expression is different from the sex assigned to them at birth and does not fit with societies interpretation for the norm of gender roles. Included in the transgender umbrella are transsexual people, non-binary gender identities, and cross-dressing (LGBT Youth, 2017). Transgender individuals are often the target of discrimination, injustice and social stigma that can lead to negative health outcomes.
Transgender kids are not treated very good they are harassed and bullied and they start killing them self because they get bullied. Jazz Jennings is a teen transgender and is a teen activist. Most people don’t come out with being transgender because they are scared that they are going to get harassed and their family won't accept
Kidd and Witten define the term transgender vaguely, stating it “describe[s] people who transcend the conventional boundaries of gender, irrespective of physical status or sexual orientation” (Kidd & Witten, 2007, p. 36). This term is a reference for the ‘other gender’ that is not particularly male or female. Currently, within the American society, there is a growing awareness of individuals who are transgender. Much of this awareness comes from LGBT movements and
What is transgender? The accepted and recognized definition of a transgender individual according to Webster’s dictionary is: denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex. Gender fluidity and gender dysphoria are also common terms and
Every 8 seconds a new baby is born in the U.S. About 10,800 babies in a day, 75,600 every week, and close to 4 (3,931,200) million each year. However, out of those 4 million, 2 thousand, about 0.06% will grow up to identify themselves as transgender. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, they suffer from gender dysphoria, a condition in which there are incongruence between one’s experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender. This illness is accompanied by clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
A person who identifies as transgender is one who expresses a gender identity that differs from the one that corresponds with their assigned sex. Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of being male, female, or any other gender. Gender expression refers to the way someone communicates their gender identity, whether it’s through the clothing they wear, their hairstyle, or their voice and body characteristics. Although some may not be aware, sex and gender aren’t synonyms. Sex is assigned at birth and refers to a person’s biological status whereas gender is based on socially constructed roles, behaviors and attributes that given societies consider appropriate for men or women. People who fall under the transgender umbrella may identify
As a nation, the United States often views itself as a champion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights. While we are far ahead of many countries, quite a few of which still criminalize same-sex relationships, we aren’t the queer utopia we like to see ourselves as. Even today, there are many states within the US that do not have laws explicitly prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace or during the hiring process. According to the Human Rights Campaign’s website, there are currently sixteen states that have no statewide employment laws protecting the rights of queer and/or trans individuals in the workplace. An even larger number of states have no laws protecting LGBTQ from housing discrimination. Since same-sex marriage was legalized in June 2015, many people feel as though the fight for equal rights is over. However, what people tend to forget about, are the dozens of macro and microaggressions queer people still face in many cities, towns, and states throughout the country. Not only are LGBT people in the United States still subject to discrimination in educational institutions and in hiring practices, but these discriminatory acts are highly regionalized.
I was wrong in my thinking and life is more complex than that. The challenges of living in a transphobic society that children must face rejection, discrimination, and violence daily, must be difficult. Transgender is a general term that refers to people with a variety of identities. In the broadest sense, refers to people who do not adhere to the cultural definitions of gender. This term encompasses transsexual men and women, or those that have altered their genitals to match the gender they choose to express, but it also includes transgender men and women who express a gender identity other than the one assigned at birth but do not choose to have genital alteration surgery. Both transgender and transsexual people may use hormones, clothing, makeup, wigs and/or hairstyles, and other types of surgery (such as facial feminization surgery or mastectomies) in their presentation of gender. Transgender also may refer to drag kings and queens, women and men who dress as the opposite gender for the purposes of performance, or people who identify as genderqueer—people who choose to express both or neither gender in their presentation. (Hoffman, 2014). This holds true for transgender children as well. There are many things that people do not realize about transgender children. Being transgender is a very complex situation to be in. Transgender children go through things such as
“What’s transgender?” Transgender means an individual that physically looks like one gender, but identifies themselves as the opposing gender. Unfortunately, transgenders’ individuals haven’t been the most accepted in today's society. However, I believe transgender individuals’ shouldn’t be discriminated, prompted on “modesty”, nor restricted; because “Trans lives matter”(Pratt 1).
In today’s society, a person is able to identify themselves as a boy, a girl or a transgender. Transgender is a delicate subject to some people as it may be accepted by some and abnormal for others. Lisa Fields, a journalist, informed us that nearly 700,000 people are living publicly as transgender in the U.S and many people have many assumptions about what it means to be transgender. The people who identify themselves as transgender say it what is means inside to them is what matters. Additionally, different ways of marriage are introduced into today’s world more than just a man and a wife married together. Gay, lesbian and traditional relationships are all around today having the same issues as the transgender subject. The issue that
To start with, Fields explains what transgender really means. There are two terms which are sex and gender. When it comes to the definition of sex, it is determined by biology such as hormones and anatomy. On the other hands, as to a person’s gender, it is more like the inner feeling of being male or female. Therefore, transgender would claim that their gender and sex are in discord somehow. He also states some of the misperceptions in the light of the issue of transgender. Many assume that transgender are someone who might have different
Gender Dysphoria is defined by a person who emotionally and psychologically identifies themselves as the opposite sex. Transgender is the commonly used term to label individuals who are diagnosed with this disorder. They experience serious discomfort of the genitals they were assigned at birth. For example, if you were born as a male, later on in your toddler stages of childhood you’d feel uncomfortable playing with masculine toys or being part of the boys team in P.E. popular sayings would be “I have a girl’s mind but a boy’s body” Or “I was born in the wrong body”. Due to the lack of research and stubborn individuals in society who discriminate against transgendered people, children who have Gender Dysphoria are conflicted and misguided on
In a lot of places around the world more and more people are coming out as “Transgender.” The term transgender means that the person’s gender identity does not correspond with the gender they were assigned as having at birth. From personally having a transgender boyfriend I have since realized that these people experience a lot of discrimination in and from society. Many people simply just do not understand what the term transgender means and they see it as someone just “wants to be a man” or “wants to be a woman.” While there may be people who present it this way, it is more so that the individual just “feels” different, and “feels” as if they are “in the wrong body.” Some people experience this feeling at a young age as my boyfriend did in his elementary age. We live in a world who put these people down for being who they truly are, and no human being wants or needs that.