Why are the rates so high?

Suicide is a huge issue in the transgender community. 41 percent in the US alone have attempted suicide. If that weren't enough, 19 percent of transgenders have been refused medical care, and 2 percent have been physically assaulted in a doctor's office.

If suicide weren't enough, 2.64 percent of transgendered people report being infected with HIV, this being 4 times higher than the national average of 0.6 percent. On top of that, mental disorders are more widespread among the LGBTQ community. And the answer to the question why, is because of all the prejudice, stigma, and hostility towards this group.

If battling suicidal thoughts, drug and alcohol abuse, mental disorders, and for some, HIV weren't enough, job security is also on the line. There is no anti-discriminatory rule that prohibits letting a transgendered people go simply because they decided to go ahead and change. This, in fact, contributes to their health problems. All these statistics, and more, can be found by clicking here.

Why are these rates so unbelievably high? They are all more than triple the American national average. I think the question should be, would the rates be lower if there were less prejudice, and more acceptance among society? In my opinion, I think the answer would be yes. Any group under these circumstances would react this way, and to ridicule a group for having such problems that has been created for them, not by them, is also a huge issue. Has no one considered that perhaps these individuals require a sex change to lead productive lives?

(Image taken from Live Science)

Regret?

Sex changes are a huge deal and much time must be put forth when considering such a big decision.

There are a number of cases where transsexuals underwent sex reassignment surgery and came to regret their decision. One person, going by the alias Claudia, recounts her experience as 'rushed.' She felt undergoing male-to-female surgery would solve all of her problems, including her relationship. Her full story can be found here.

Statistics about surgery regret are scarce and hard to find. The topic is still taboo in society, therefore many scientists are unwilling to study it because the subjects (transsexuals), are unwilling to participate. However, a study in 1992 stated that postoperative surgery is generally low - only 1% in female to male, and 1-1.5% in male to female. (More about this can be found by clicking this link.)

So the question quickly becomes: why are postoperative regret stories making more headlines than successful stories? I personally think it's because society still isn't comfortable with people changing sexes. Upon reading comments on an article republished from 1993 in 2012, I find that people are still very judgemental and frown upon this surgery. I find that people like to see that these surgeries don't work out to affirm their belief that a man is born a man and must therefore be comfortable with himself, just as a woman should be with herself. (These comments can be found here.) I find that people are still very uncomfortable with the thought of transsexuality that stories of failure make them feel better about themselves, potentially because they would not be happy if they were to have gender dysphoria.

(Image taken from TransGriot)

It's not always scary

While transphobia is a scary and too popular in society, some transgendered people have had an easier time finding acceptance among their family and friends.

(Image taken from Las Vegas Review Journal)

Pictured above is a college student named Dana Pardee. More specifically, however, Dana Pardee was born  the female in the framed photo. He is now a year into changing his anatomy to be who he feels he really is- a male.

Dana Pardee, like many struggling to come out to their families, was nervous about telling his family about his decision to become male. He said he constantly played stories in his head of how the situation would go about when he finally spoke to his parents, specifically his father, about his decision. However, Dana was very much surprised when his whole family didn't even blink an eye, calling it 'the most anticlimactic moment' of his life ever.

Despite growing up in a conservative neighbourhood, Dana feels support coming from everywhere. His family also believes those who loved Dana as a girl will still love him as a male. It is with this support that has eased his transition, and prompted him to speak out and do advocacy work to help others dealing with similar issues.

Dana's full interview can be found by clicking here.

The main point I'm putting out, is that it's possible to transition with all the support needed. I also think it's better to talk about the issues with family and friends before deciding that it will be rejected. There's no guarantee that  family will offer support, but it should be known that there are individuals that will, and organizations that were made specifically for people having trouble finding support. Organizations like Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and the 519 Organization are full of supporters that help anyone that needs it. There are many places to for help, and the Charity Village has a page full of websites that anyone could visit to find support in their area.

Transphobia and 'Trans panic' defense

“Transphobia (noun) : fear or dislike of transgender people.”

(Merriam-Webster, 2010) Click here for a full definition.

Transphobia is recognized as a slang term according to Merriam-Webster. To me, it means a fear of anyone pursuing to be part of the gender they feel they should've been. Transphobia is a big issue in society and in schools. As much as 37% of trans students have reported being physically assaulted in response to their gender expression in school alone. The statistics get even worse: 49% of trans students have been sexually assaulted, the highest among any LGBTQ group. These, and more staggering statistics can be found by clicking here.

Perhaps one of the most startling statistics, is that in America, transgenders have up a 1 in 12 chance of being murdered. (Click here for more.) This statistic definitely proved true for Gwen Amber Rose Araujo. Born Edward Araujo jr, Gwen was murdered by four men (New York Times, 2005), two of which she had sexual relations with (The Guardian, 2005). The cause of Araujo's murder was transphobia, which was accepted into court as defense under 'trans panic'.

Trans panic stemmed from gay panic defense, which in turn is from homosexual panic. Homosexual panic is as follows, according to the online medical dictionary: "an acute attack of anxiety based on unconscious conflicts concerning gender identity and a fear of being homosexual." (Click here for more definitions.)

In other words, gay panic defense is where the killer can say they killed the victim because the victim was coming onto them, and they panicked due to homosexual panic. Following this term comes trans panic defense, which as you can imagine, means the victim was killed because they came onto the killer and the killer was not made aware that they were transsexual.

(Gwen Araujo, image taken from Wikipedia)

So it seems a transgendered person must outright declare who they are, or face being killed because someone is uncomfortable with it. I can honestly say I find this disgusting. This kind of defense makes no sense at all. No one should have to lose their life because they didn't lift up their skirt, so to speak. However I do think the person a transgender gets involved with should know. If they did, perhaps the transgender wouldn't get killed. However it is a discretionary decision, but I think it should be discussed because everyone should be the a person that accepts all of them, not just parts of them.

Aren't you GLAAD to be here?

I'm sure many people have heard of LGBT communities (Lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender). They exist all over the world and often face various forms of criticism and hatred. The media is a huge tool in defaming or promoting equality in such a tender topic. There are so many broadcasters around the world that have continually bashed LGBT communities, and there aren't many who defend them. However, there is one very popular network that has worked hard to combat such negativity. It's called GLAAD.

GLAAD stands for 'The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation' (Link here). Their whole mission is to protect and and promote the stories and acceptance of members of LGBT communities. GLAAD also reports on any issue relating to LGBT, and is promoted by many known companies and celebrities. Wells Fargo is a big supporter, as well as Anderson Cooper, who recently came out about his sexuality. Ellen Degeneres, Ricky Martin, and Liz Carmouche (UFC fighter) are also among supporters of GLAAD.

(Image taken from Under Construction)

To be, or not to be...

...transgender.

Transgender is a popular term heard across many media outlets. It is very hard to define transgender because its meaning differentiates between many people. However, the basic meaning (that which people stem from their own meaning), is:

"An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term may include but is not limited to: transsexuals, cross-dressers, and other gender-variant people. Transgender people may identify as female-to-male (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). Use the descriptive term (transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser, FTM or MTF) preferred by the individual. Transgender people may or may not choose to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically." (The Centre, 2012). Click here for further explanations and more definitions related to this topic.

So many terms are packed into that definition alone. In my opinion, I think transgender is very alike to gender dysmorphia, however, the person who claims to be transgender is pursuing their need to be part of the sex they biologically aren't. For example, a female who feels they are really a male in a female body, deciding to dress up as a male and/or surgically alter their genitalia to match that of a male.I think the difference between the two definitions is that transgenders are starting to change their physical appearance, whether it be just their attire, or surgically/hormonally modifying themselves.

Perhaps one of the most known transgender is Renée Richards. She was born Richard Raskind in 1934, undergoing a sex change in 1975 (NPR Books, 2007) (Link). She was the first MTF to play at the US Open (tennis) (The New York Times, 1977). She was originally denied entry to the US Open in 1976 unless she submitted chromosomal testing, in which she did not (The New York Times, 1977). She then sued the US Tennis Association in 1977 and won the right to play as a woman without submitting any testing. (The New York Times, 1977) (Link).

I think she opened up the doors for many people who wish to undergo sex reassignment surgery, and made society more receptive to such a procedure. She was not the first person to undergo a sex change, however she was the first MTF to be accepted into a national competition as her preferred gender. And just for that I think she made life just a little bit easier for those who contemplated, but never followed through with such a procedure.

(Image taken from Grant Land)

What does 'Gender' mean?

So what exactly is 'gender'? How is it different from 'sex'? Many times we see these words on various forms, assuming they mean the same thing. 

Sex is: "either of the two major forms of individuals that occur in many species and that are distinguished respectively as female or male especially on the basis of their reproductive organs and structures." as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary (click here for Merriam-Webster's full definition).

Gender, on the other hand is: "the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex." also defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary (click here for Merriam-Webster's other definitions.)

Basically, sex is something predetermined by nature, and gender is something determined by which you associate with. Many people don't see what the big difference is between the two, but there is a term called gender dysphoria, which affects an approximated 1 in 11 500 people (National Health Service, 2012). It's more common than you think.

Gender dysphoria is described as: "a condition in which a person feels that there is a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity." (National Health Service, 2012.) Click here for more information.

I think the numbers of gender dysphoria is much higher than reported because it's such a hard issue to come forward with. Case studies are constantly being published and with it becoming a more known issue, many more are 'coming out', so to speak.

We will be looking at today's cases and discussing the issues and implications of this dysphoria.

(image taken from Freedom Requires Wings)