The transgender movement first emerged in 1952, but was formality made into a movement in 1969 with the Stonewall riots, which also was the birth of the LGBT movement. Since then transgender rights and transgendered people, in general, have been a prevalent topic in todays media since the passing of several LGBT laws. The passing of laws in favour of the LGBT, such as, marriage equality law, the transgender community is now focusing on obtaining laws that favour the movement in gaining equal and civil rights. Now ever since the movement emerged there has been a debate over whether there needs to be laws to protect them from discrimination. There are roughly 1.4 million people who identify as transgender in the U.S. and with the increase in media cover in show such as, I am Jazz, it has brought the issues of transgender rights and discrimination into the news front. There are many laws in circulation not only to help transgenders gain rights but ones that aim to deny them their rights for reasons such as, religious liberty. The basic rights that transgender people are hoping will make it to law is their right to use the bathroom of their chose, to be able to dress as the gender they identify with in the work place, and over just to be able to walk around freely as who they want to be because without that, it can lead to depression and suicide. The biggest argument against the transgender movement and their rights are people who are against it because of their religious beliefs. The opposing argument is based on the thought that transgenders are “rejecting their god-given gender”(Ross). That transgenders are living with a “delusional view of gender” and that is forcing society to just accept transgender people without question(Ross).
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Transgenders face discrimination in many aspects of society in everyday life, law, and employment. There are many violent encounters faced by transgenders for example, in the past year “102 transgender people were murdered in 12 countries” simply because they were openly transgender (Machlitt). Transgenders also deal with wrongful incarceration; one of the biggest issues is being convicted for “manifesting” prostitution, which is if “somebody in public manifests an internet to commit or solicit an act of prostitution” (Machlitt). Laverne Cox once said that “[the ‘manifesting prostitution’ law] basically means that as a trans women of colour walking in a certain neighborhood, you can be arrested for prostitution.” However, the most prominent issues faced by transgenders is employment, “47 percent of transgender people report they were fired, not advanced, or not hired due to their gender identity” (Machlitt). There is one case where a transgender person was working in a funeral home and was fired for wearing the uniform of the gender she identified with instead of her biological gender. Although, “the court acknowledged that it’s unlawful to discriminate on the basis of gender stereotyping” the defender claimed that because of his religious belief he requires people to remain the sex they were born with; therefore, he should be exempt from the anti-discrimination laws because of the Federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (Feldman). Transgender people are discriminated against in all levels of society, which in turn causes people to hide who they truly are, this can lead to depression and suicide. Therefore, the government should get involved in protecting its citizen’s lives and natural rights by implementing laws to protect them from such
Transgenders face discrimination in many aspects of society in everyday life, law, and employment. There are many violent encounters faced by transgenders for example, in the past year “102 transgender people were murdered in 12 countries” simply because they were openly transgender (Machlitt). Transgenders also deal with wrongful incarceration; one of the biggest issues is being convicted for “manifesting” prostitution, which is if “somebody in public manifests an internet to commit or solicit an act of prostitution” (Machlitt). Laverne Cox once said that “[the ‘manifesting prostitution’ law] basically means that as a trans women of colour walking in a certain neighborhood, you can be arrested for prostitution.” However, the most prominent issues faced by transgenders is employment, “47 percent of transgender people report they were fired, not advanced, or not hired due to their gender identity” (Machlitt). There is one case where a transgender person was working in a funeral home and was fired for wearing the uniform of the gender she identified with instead of her biological gender. Although, “the court acknowledged that it’s unlawful to discriminate on the basis of gender stereotyping” the defender claimed that because of his religious belief he requires people to remain the sex they were born with; therefore, he should be exempt from the anti-discrimination laws because of the Federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (Feldman). Transgender people are discriminated against in all levels of society, which in turn causes people to hide who they truly are, this can lead to depression and suicide. Therefore, the government should get involved in protecting its citizen’s lives and natural rights by implementing laws to protect them from such