Transgender Discrimination Essay

This paper will focus upon the stigma and discrimination that transgender individuals experience in todays’ society. It will also delve into the history of the social movement towards equality; while identifying the current political trends in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stringer, (2013), states that the word transgender is a broad term that describes a diverse group of individuals that identify with a gender different from that in to which they were born. Transgender individuals face many adversities in their daily lives. They are at risk of experiencing such difficulties as mental illness, substance abuse low self-esteem, and, suicide anxiety (Mizock, & Mueser, 2014). Individuals who discriminate against the transgender community are labeled

According to Reed, Franks, & Scherr, 2015, there is limited experimental research that focuses upon the prejudice that transgender individuals experience in communities throughout the United States. However research does indicate that those who are transgender experience higher levels of discrimination than other members of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer/questioning(LGBTQ) community (Reed, Franks, & Scherr, 2015). Individuals that are transgender typically experience a significant transformation of their appearance in contrast to other members of the LGBTQ community. As a result of the gender reassignment process that they experience; transgender individuals undergo traumatic medical/ surgical treatment, that leads to physical and psychological changes as they strive to achieve their desired gender. This can lead to a range of issues; including but not limited to depression, anxiety, compromised mental health, and minimal

This includes access to gender neutral bathrooms, locker rooms, athletic activities, and general harassment policies to address the needs of transgender students in a culturally competent manner. This is opening up the dialogue, but it is also exposing how unsettling the issue remains amongst many parents and students (De Jesus, 2016). Philadelphia has a section in Center City known as the “gayborhood” the street signs in this area adorned with rainbows to reflect that it is an area that celebrates the LGBTQ community. In this area one can find a number of resources available to transgender individuals. The Mazzoni Center has been in existence for in excess of thirty years. The center provides refuge and supportive services for the entire LGBTQ community, and they have also acted as an advocacy agency affecting the policies associated with how the city. They have been one of many agencies in Philadelphia at the forefront of advocating for positive changes in policies associated with transgender