The United States is a divided society, categorized according to political affiliation, race, and religion. Income earners are separated into middle, low-income, or wealthy classes. Fans choose which seats to sit in during a football game according to the team they are rooting for. Inclusion can provide an odd sense of comfort. All too often, however, transgender youth are denied that sense of belonging because they defy society’s categories of male and female. The gender binary divides society into two separate, unequivocal categories that marginalizes transgender youth and directly impacts their emotional health and well-being. Society’s collective response of demeaning, shaming, and violence further increases the divide. Therefore, expanding
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The toys they choose to play with and the clothes they choose to wear are an individual’s way of expressing their gender. As is their haircut, make-up, and jewelry. While some mannerisms are non-binary, others convey a more masculine or feminine tone. An individual’s expression, gait, and posture also contribute to their gender expression. Though variation within the binary system is tolerated, transgression from what is considered socially acceptable is often met with judgment, harassment and …show more content…
There are numerous statistics and research that confirms lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning youths are harassed and bullied at a far greater rate than their straight/cisgender counterparts (Wernick, Kulick, and Inglehart 927). It is often a choice between hiding who they are, which creates inner conflict or being who they are and face victimization. Either way leads to a decline in mental health (Kreiger 21). In order to best support the transgender community, the American Psychiatric Association has updated its fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to include gender dysphoria. This condition is characterized by the marked difference between an individual’s expressed gender and the gender others would assign him/her. This desire to be the other gender must be verbalized and consistent for six months (Gender Dysphoria). It is important to note that gender non-conformity is not in itself a mental disorder, but the APA recognizes that there is clinically significant stress associated with the condition. Manifestations of this stress include anxiety, depression, self-harming, and suicide (Mizock, Mouganis, and Meier). In fact, parents, teachers, and peers can impact a child’s self esteem and worth by both their actions and inactions. The effects of which, can have far reaching consequences from childhood,
The toys they choose to play with and the clothes they choose to wear are an individual’s way of expressing their gender. As is their haircut, make-up, and jewelry. While some mannerisms are non-binary, others convey a more masculine or feminine tone. An individual’s expression, gait, and posture also contribute to their gender expression. Though variation within the binary system is tolerated, transgression from what is considered socially acceptable is often met with judgment, harassment and …show more content…
There are numerous statistics and research that confirms lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning youths are harassed and bullied at a far greater rate than their straight/cisgender counterparts (Wernick, Kulick, and Inglehart 927). It is often a choice between hiding who they are, which creates inner conflict or being who they are and face victimization. Either way leads to a decline in mental health (Kreiger 21). In order to best support the transgender community, the American Psychiatric Association has updated its fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to include gender dysphoria. This condition is characterized by the marked difference between an individual’s expressed gender and the gender others would assign him/her. This desire to be the other gender must be verbalized and consistent for six months (Gender Dysphoria). It is important to note that gender non-conformity is not in itself a mental disorder, but the APA recognizes that there is clinically significant stress associated with the condition. Manifestations of this stress include anxiety, depression, self-harming, and suicide (Mizock, Mouganis, and Meier). In fact, parents, teachers, and peers can impact a child’s self esteem and worth by both their actions and inactions. The effects of which, can have far reaching consequences from childhood,