Within the past decade, gender identity and rights for those who do not identify with conventional genders have been increasingly frequently seen within society. Within western society, the conventional genders are male and female, there is no in between or variance within gender identity. However, Planned Parenthood states that gender identity is how an individual expresses their gender (“Gender & Gender Identity”). An understanding of this concept that gender is not a set between one of two options allows individuals to refute stereotypes and gender roles, and be less likely to be a target in hate crimes. Acceptance of there being a widely-varied spectrum of gender allows individuals and society to go against the conventional gender roles
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Just as there are hate crimes against people who are not heterosexual, there have been numerous accounts of crimes against those who are cis-gendered, meaning they do not identify with their biological sex. According to Time, the number of murders that have targeted transgender people was at a historical high of 15 people in 2015 (Steinmetz). An Ohio transgender male to female named Leelah Alcorn, committed suicide after they realized that their parents and the world around them would not accept them (Fantz). Nearly 15 percent of transgender people have reported being sexually assaulted while in prison and 12 percent of transgender youth have reported being sexually assaulted while in K-12 (“Sexual Assault in the Transgender Community”). Even after the United States has had an uprising of transgender celebrities in the recent years, there is still much prejudice and discrimination towards the LGBTQ+ community and they live in fear every day of their lives. Accepting people who are part of the community would ultimately result in the decrease of these crimes that target transgender …show more content…
These differences are mainly seen in the chromosomes and sex organs, but they can branch out to other areas of the body as well. As stated in “Biological Theories of Gender”, hormones differ between men and women, as men secrete the hormone testosterone and women secrete estrogen into their bodies (McLeod). There are also differences within the brain, “Scientists Discover a Difference Between the Sexes” states that there is a drug that affects females but not males, which sheds light on the molecular differences between male and female brains (Fellman). While it is true that males and females are biologically different, gender is a social construct that is not solely based on an individual’s biological sex. It is obvious that every person is unique, therefore, it is not hard to imagine that one may be more feminine than masculine while biologically being a male. Although their sex may be assigned to them according to biological differences, the way an individual expresses their gender is not and should not be restricted in order to align with their biological
Just as there are hate crimes against people who are not heterosexual, there have been numerous accounts of crimes against those who are cis-gendered, meaning they do not identify with their biological sex. According to Time, the number of murders that have targeted transgender people was at a historical high of 15 people in 2015 (Steinmetz). An Ohio transgender male to female named Leelah Alcorn, committed suicide after they realized that their parents and the world around them would not accept them (Fantz). Nearly 15 percent of transgender people have reported being sexually assaulted while in prison and 12 percent of transgender youth have reported being sexually assaulted while in K-12 (“Sexual Assault in the Transgender Community”). Even after the United States has had an uprising of transgender celebrities in the recent years, there is still much prejudice and discrimination towards the LGBTQ+ community and they live in fear every day of their lives. Accepting people who are part of the community would ultimately result in the decrease of these crimes that target transgender …show more content…
These differences are mainly seen in the chromosomes and sex organs, but they can branch out to other areas of the body as well. As stated in “Biological Theories of Gender”, hormones differ between men and women, as men secrete the hormone testosterone and women secrete estrogen into their bodies (McLeod). There are also differences within the brain, “Scientists Discover a Difference Between the Sexes” states that there is a drug that affects females but not males, which sheds light on the molecular differences between male and female brains (Fellman). While it is true that males and females are biologically different, gender is a social construct that is not solely based on an individual’s biological sex. It is obvious that every person is unique, therefore, it is not hard to imagine that one may be more feminine than masculine while biologically being a male. Although their sex may be assigned to them according to biological differences, the way an individual expresses their gender is not and should not be restricted in order to align with their biological