In early Islamic culture, a transgender woman called a mukhannathun, a woman who had been born a male but with natural femininity, was accepted and allowed to have relations with men or women. The mukhannathum held an important position in society, associated with music and entertainment, and are stated in the Qur’an as companions of women. They were companions of Prophet Muhammad and his wives, and close enough to accompany them in their homes. However, this is significant as a woman’s chamber is known to be a holy place for Muslims, and is forbidden to strangers and most unrelated men.…
I just read Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin. The main character of this novel is Riley Cavanaugh. Riley is shy, rebellious, and gender fluid. Being gender fluid means that someone feels masculine, feminine, neither, or both. Riley goes through endless amounts of bullying, but she has her two friends to look out for her, Solo and Bec.…
To most people, it may be difficult to fully understand the many obstacles that trans people face on a daily basis. They face huge disparities in almost every facet of society. Employers and landlords may gainsay people jobs and homes because they don't conform to gender norms, which is licit to do in 31 states. The 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS) found trans people are approximately four times as likely to live in extreme impecuniosity compared to the general population. NTDS found 57 percent of trans people report family abnegation.…
Non-binary genders are genders that do not fall under male (boy) or female (girl). Someone’s gender may not be the same as their sex because gender and sex are not the same thing. A few examples of non-binary genders are agender (having no gender), bigender (having the feeling of switching between two genders) and gender-fluid (having the feeling of switching through many genders). Even the definition of the word gender neither says it has to be boy or girl, nor does it say it has to be your sex. “Definition of GENDER [2b] the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex” (Webster).…
Rhetorical Analysis of an Argument Imagine a world where your gender defines who you are and who exactly you could become. Stereotypes about gender could be as simple as a person born male would become a construction worker or police officer and a person born female would become a school teacher or hair dresser. People are to fit into their gender stereotypes, and that was that. But, it is not the 1950s anymore.…
Tomboy Survival Guide is an inspiring memoir written by Ivan Coyote, a Canadian writer, performer, and advocate for LGBT rights. The story of Coyote’s life is written chronologically, beginning when they are at a young age identified as a tomboy, then describes themself as butch, and eventually as they are older now in their 40’s as trans. Coyote’s struggles of defying gender boxes and binaries have lead to their journey of personal acceptance and strength through challenges such as harassment, body issues, and teaching people about these conflicts in order to bring to light the oppressions that trans people face every day. Coyote had signed up for the Electricity and Industrial Electronics program at a local school, but there were only two…
Bullying against transgender teens will only become more rampant if they are forced to use the “correct” bathroom or have special accommodations made for them. There is already a societal stigma towards transgenders for just being, which is made even worse by differentiating them from their peers. Making transgender students use the staff bathroom or the bathroom of their biological sex only encourages the disapproving atmosphere many have to deal with at an institution that is supposed to be a safe learning environment. Transgenders face a much higher risk of suicide than the norm-- a massive 41 percent as compared to the 4.6 percent in the general public (Ungar). Though transgender students may be okay with using alternate accommodations…
Thirdly, inclusive transgender health care is essential to the health and well-being of the transgender community. Individuals living outside the gender binary need not be afraid to approach their health due to lack of transgender healthcare education the current medical community holds, and access to transgender affirming healthcare…
They face discrimination such as employment, housing, and health care discrimination. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey indicated that twenty-six percent of transgendered people lost their jobs because they are transgender and ninety-seven percent were mistreated at work. Another issue that transgender citizens face is housing instability. Survey respondents encountered negative outcomes which arise from challenges they come in contact with in employment. Factors that they face could be having to find different places to sleep for short periods of time, having to move back in with family members and friends, becoming homeless, and being kicked out of homes.…
This can lead to many mental health problems, such as depression. Statistics show that 44% of students who identify as something other than cisgender have attempted suicide, while 51% are bullied or harassed. These numbers cover transgender and non binary students in coed schools, showing that stereotypes need to be abolished and gender roles should not be enforced in segregated settings (producing even higher attempted suicide rates). [transition…
Transgender children face similar and different reaction from parents, educators and friends.…
In fact, the 28% prevalence among FTM transgender women in 2008 (Ard & Makadon, 2012). They are also at higher risks of violence, mental health issues, and suicide compared to other women (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016).Transgender women are also more likely to be affected by intimate partner abuse than their straight or LGB female peers (Ard & Makadon, 2012). There is also the issue of discrimination against transgender women to consider. Acts of violence and harassment towards transgender people are disproportionately higher than those towards non-transgender lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people. In a 2003 study of campus life in 14 educational institutions, 41% of the transgender participants reported harassment in the past year compared to the 28% of non-transgender lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people (Beemyn, 2004).…
A current issue in education is the lack of support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students (LGBT). Transgender refers to a person’s gender identify--a person’s innate sense of being male, female, or somewhere in between( Banks& Banks, 2013). School are starting altering these practices: inviting same-sex couples to prom, providing gender neutral or individual bathrooms and locker rooms for transgender student, and including LGBT people and perspectives in the curriculum (McCollum, 2010). With acceptance, this population still face discrimination and prejudice. In school, LGBT students are harassed and bullied.…
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).…
The most common mental health concerns are depression, anxiety, feelings of suicide, and gender dysphoria. All of this can be linked to bullying (harassment in school), being physically or sexually assaulted, social stigma, and most importantly, non-accepting families. This could also lead to eating disorders. Many trans adolescents express dissatisfaction with their bodies and deal with disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. According to research, trans youth who live with accepting families live a happier and healthier lifestyle than those who have unaccepting families.…