Imagine sending your child into a bathroom knowing a child predator is lurking around waiting for his or her next victim. These are the thoughts that pass through many American’s mind, regarding transgender bathroom laws and current policies. Why? Is it because the perception is that every man is a sexual predator regardless if they identify as a woman. Why is there a bigger controversy when it is identifying Male to Female and not Female to Male? The statistic regarding child predators is what drives us to believe that. Per the U.S Department of Justice NSOPW “62,939 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in 2012, about 20 million out of 112 million women (18.0%) in the United States have been raped during their lifetime,” (nsopw) and “In
“Gender identity One 's innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One 's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.” (hrc) The problem with this, is anyone can say they identify as a man or woman. “Gender Transition The process by which some people strive to more closely align their internal knowledge of gender with its outward appearance. Some people socially transition, whereby they might begin dressing, using names and pronouns and/or be socially recognized as another gender. Others undergo physical transitions in which they modify their bodies through medical interventions.” (hrc) This is also known as Trans male or female or MTF and FTM. There is a big difference between both. The issue we are dealing with is gender identity, which allow anyone to use the opposite gender bathroom if they say they identify as a male or female. Therefore, I disagree with this law (some states) and this policy (some companies) have
Which I do not disagree with them, but we need to understand the needs of the county and how we can compromise. A recent story about a Virginia transgender teen "won a battle against his school board for the right to use the boys ' bathroom, a potential game changer in the national debate over Title IX and gender identity, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of 16-year-old Gavin Grimm, reversing a lower district court 's decision. Grimm claimed the Gloucester County School Board violated Title IX, a law banning sex discrimination in schools, when the board prevented him from using boys ' restrooms.” (everythinglubbock) People argue that these kinds of policies are needed to prevent bullying other students. Growing up being part of the LGBT community we need to learn to defend ourselves, create character and a backbone. What some parents do not understand, is that when these kids grow-up they will face people who will criticize, judge and attack them in a worse, harsh and even violent way. In a study of American children aged 11 and 12, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles published in the Daily Mail “Although the researchers accept that bullying can be damaging to children, leading to depression and anxiety, those who are not afraid to stand
What is Gender Dysphoria? A clinical definition may be, “The condition of feeling one 's emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one 's biological sex.” There is a growing amount of scientific research that suggests gender identity develops at a very early age. So, what are the ethical considerations of gender-reassignment treatments for minors suffering from gender dysphoria? Children can be diagnosed with GD as early as age five. Following, most girls start puberty when they are between the ages of eight and thirteen years old. Then, most boys start puberty when they are between the ages of ten and fifteen years old.
For instance, sociologists would argue that characteristics of the male gender in a given society include independence, and dominance whereas females express more passive behavior. Gender identity, on the other hand is an individual’s sense of their gender or in other words, their sense as to whether they are feminine or masculine. Therefore, transgender is a term related to “people whose gender identity is different from the gender commonly socially assigned to them on the basis of their biological sex” (Morrow & Messinger, 2006, p. 7).“Biological theories assume that gender should be consistent with biological sex and there are only two genders and two sexes” which does not correspond to transgender people. Furthermore, transgender is also used as a general term to include people such as transsexuals and cross-dressers
The American Psychological Association states that they recognize that gender nonconformity itself is not a mental disorder and what makes it a disorder is the presence of significant distress associated with the condition. As we have learned in class, something becomes diagnosed if it interferes with the patient’s everyday life. Gender Dysphoria has to be present for 6 or more months in order to be diagnosed and there must be a “marked difference between the individuals expressed/experienced gender and the genders others would assign him or her (DSM-V, APA).” Gender Dysphoria was added to the DSM-V as an effort to remove some stigma associated with the diagnosis. Previously called “Gender Identity Disorder,” Gender Dysphoria is “intended to
However, an umbrella term, or a word that covers more than one specific topic, such as transgender, does not only describe people who identify as the opposite sex; it also describes people who identify with both male and female genders, people who identify as genderless, or people who fluctuate between two or more genders. Many transgender people often refer to themselves simply as “trans.” Transgender does not define one’s sexual orientation, however; gender is considered a social construct while sexuality is not.
Transgender is an umbrella term, meaning an individual’s gender-identity does not align with their assigned sex at birth. Although transgender is a protected class in eighteen states, these individuals still face discrimination within the country and around the world (“Non-Discrimination Laws”). Transgender is not a lifestyle, no one chooses to live their life constantly being discriminated against. Transgender issues should be more educated on and their lives should be more protected.
With the “Orange Is the New Black” star, Laverne Cox being transgender and permitted to play a vivid character as “Sophia”, Caitlyn Jenner’s announcement on the Diane Sawyer interview in 2015, and the arsenal of social media, being non-cisgender (not the gender assigned at birth) in general, has been discussed more than ever. Due to the Internet’s broadness, people who met this classification are unraveling new identities such as non-binary and genderqueer (only people who are this can say this word as “queer” is a slur). Being cisgender is the norm in society. I am also non-cisgender and this is an unique thing that possessed many scars.
“The federal government and almost every state recognize transgender people’s right to change their name and to have identification documents with the gender marker that matches their gender identity.” (Jami Kathleen Taylor, 2007) There are a lot of misconceptions on what the meaning of transgender is, some think that they only become the person whether it is male to female, or female to male after surgery. What people fail to realize is that every transgender person transitions in their own way.
When an individual identifies themselves as transgender, it means that they feel that their biological gender does not match with their psychological gender. To put that into a simple man’s term, the individual feels they “were born in the wrong body”. For example, a man feels that he was meant to be born a woman and vise-versa. It does sound rather unusual, but why should that matter? An individual should be able to make his or her own decisions about how they live their life. Unfortunately though, not everyone feels the same way about this. That is how the controversy is created. This is why transgender rights should be strengthened in America not only because it is morally correct, but also because it would ease the lives of the people within this group, reduce the discrimination and harassment rates of transgender individuals, and help establish awareness.
Transgender Rights and Gender Neutral Bathrooms Cassidy Howell No one wants to feel like they do not belong or like they are not cared for. Transgender people are just like everyone else and deserve to be treated equally as cisgendered people. According to Sam Killerman, being transgendered means living "as a member of a gender other than that expected based on sex assigned at birth. " This definition is extremely important because a transgender person is still a person.
Clinically speaking, a person who was assigned female at birth but identifies and lives as a man is referred to as a transsexual man, or transman, or female-to-male (FTM); a male-to-female (MTF) person is a transsexual woman or transwoman (Glicksman). Some people drop the transgender label after they have transitioned to their new gender. However, they want to be referred to only as a man or a woman. But what if our gender identity, our sense of being a boy or being a girl, does not match our physical body? From a very early age we will start to feel increasingly uncomfortable. For some this is a mild discomfort, for others it is so traumatic they would rather die than continue to live in the wrong body. Unfortunately as transsexual people are a small minority of the population the condition has been labeled by Psychiatrists as "Gender Identity Disorder". With the transgendered, the disordered assumption is that the
By only giving the choice of using a Men’s or a Women’s bathroom it has further enforced the gender binary: “In the moment that one must choose between two doors—one marked “men” and one marked “women”—the binary construction of gender is never more blatantly enforced” (Herman, 2012, p.25). When someone is presented with only two choices of restrooms, it is enforcing the ideals that those are the only two options a person can be. Also these gender binaries are shaming anyone who does not fit into them. These gender binaries are so normalized and engrained in society that they lead to inadequate bathroom access for transgender people throughout the United States. The trans people are the ones who do not fit society’s gender norms and they are being isolated, because of
Imagine you are the mother of a small little girl, let 's say around the age of 3 or 4 years old. You and your child are walking through the grocery store,and she says, “I have to go to the bathroom”. You say okay and take her to the bathroom. When you enter the women’s bathroom there are no empty stalls so you wait in line. When finally a person unlocks the door to a stall and walks out. This person is a transgender male. He doesn’t look like a female and your child asks you ,”mom why is that boy in the girls bathroom?” what would you say to your young child? That man is actually not a man,but a man that has become a woman? This is one of the many reasons that I think that Transgenders should have to use the bathroom of the gender they were
This fight is not about the safety and well-being of our children. This fight is about stopping the progress of the LGBTQIA*+ community. This “bathroom debate” is not just a fight for the right to pee but a fight for civil rights. Transgender people are just like everybody else. The terms and labels they use for themselves or the ones we choose to use for them, does not change the fact that they are people. They have jobs, they have spouses, they have kids, they have parents, they are students, they bleed when you cut them open and they cry when they are in pain. Urinating is a normal bodily function and is non-optional. Every person deserves basic human rights, and peeing while being and feeling safe, is a basic human right. In conclusion, the opposition consists of liars and those who will believe whatever they are told. No man has ever pretended to be transgender to get into a women’s public washroom or change room and no registered sex offender has ever pretended to be transgender to sexually assault someone in a public washroom or change room. Transgender people experience much more sexual and physical violence than cisgender people. Children are much more tolerant of “differences” than adults. The people who are “scared” are not truly afraid of perverted men or registered sex offenders. The people who are “scared” fear change. Those who fear change will do anything to stop it. The first step is to show how normal transgender people truly are. People need to see that they are like everybody else. We need more transgender representation in fictional and nonfictional media, we need children and young adults educated on transgender people and issues in schools, and we need to learn to accept others. It is okay to have questions and concerns but it is not okay to deny someone the right to feel comfortable and safe while their pants are around their ankles in a public washroom. Justice will prevail as it always does but the sooner
Recently, there has been an uproar of debates on the topic of gender neutral bathrooms. Most of the debates have had to deal with the LGBTQ+ community trying to use the bathroom they identify with. However, these debates have mainly focused on transgenders, “transgender is a term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex the doctor marked on their birth certificate” (GLADD). There has been several bills that “have been filed in three states to prevent transgender people from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identity” (Tannehill). Kentucky has tried to pass bills that target transgender students, but the bill in Texas and Florida would apply to everywhere (Tannehill). There are many different sides to this
I don't know about that. There's some boys who feel like they're girls on the inside, and there's some boys who are just perverts." The video also included slides which spelled out point of view of those not siding with bathroom law. "Bathroom safety is a real concern for ALL parents... not just parents of trans youth. So what are the SOLUTIONS that make all youth safe and comfortable?...