Informational Research Essay: Transgender Community And Social Media

Informational Research Essay

What is the first thought that comes to mind when the word transgender is heard? Is it Obama’s fight to allow transgender people into the bathrooms they want? Or does the mind immediately go to famous actresses like Laverne Cox or Caitlyn Jenner? It might be hard to imagine, but many people before the age of Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter might not be aware of issues within the transgender community or even know what “transgender” means. Social media has changed the way the general population receives information and communicates. The transgender community is spread thin across the globe and social media offers them an opportunity to voice their issues and be represented in media. The impact social media has made

Introducing transgender people’s lives to schools and the general population is making the environment more welcoming and tolerant. A New York Times article written on the issue interviewed a principal of a school: “‘I think this gets us closer on a whole variety of fronts to making each and every student in our building feel like a valued, recognized member of our community,’ said Madison West Principal Beth Thompson”(Manjoo). The effect social media has on even a small town demonstrates how much it alters the views of the entire world. This community that has been formed to educate people, specifically transgender people and their family, has expanded because of communication through social media. A parent of a transgender child talks about how she had troubles accessing information about transgender people. She vocalizes her struggles, “There was no information, and it was very difficult for my husband and I to find out what was going on,” said DeShanna Neal, the mother of a 12-year-old transgender daughter, Trinity, who began showing signs of discomfort with her gender when she was a toddler”(Manjoo). With more openly transgender figures interacting on social media, learning about the community has become easier than ever. Social media gives them a chance to communicate with a community that shares some similar experiences and changes their views on trans people. Having a community is vital to making the general population regard transgender people in a more positive way and media reflects how society regards transgender