Amplify: Transgender Issues

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For some people, gender is easy: women should look and act like women, and men should look and act like men. Society supports this view of gender and reinforces it through traditional gender roles.

But for transgender individuals and their allies, it's not so simple.

"Transgender" is a blanket term used to describe people who identify as a different gender than the biological sex they were born with. A transgender person may identify as the opposite gender, may identify as "genderqueer" or may reject the concept of binary gender entirely. But these definitions aren't fixed — they change as an individual's, and as society's, understanding of gender evolves. Transgender also isn't about sexual orientation – individuals of any gender may feel love for individuals of any gender.

Transgender young people face often face transphobia: societal opposition and fear of who they are. Transphobia poses serious challenges to the health and well-being of transgender youth. They develop an understanding of their identities in the face of overwhelming societal opposition. They must navigate decisions around coming out, relationships, and whether to "transition" (take hormones or undergo surgery to match their body to their gender). They may face employment discrimination or have difficulty finding health care providers who understand their needs. Even the most basic transactions can be tough: many transgender individuals must constantly correct those who use the wrong pronouns, calling someone who identifies as female "he" and vice versa. (One way to avoid this is to avoid pronouns or wait and see what the person calls themselves.)

Trans youth also provide an easy target for fearmongering social conservatives looking to score points in the culture war, and for a sensationalist media all too interested in building an image of transgender people as freaks.

Worst of all, transgender people face threats to physical safety: the majority feel unsafe in school and 90% have experienced harassment; violent crimes against transgender individuals are all too common.

Yet even in the face of this, strides are being made: more and more transgender people are taking a stand for their rights. There are transgender celebrities, famous activists, and elected officials. And President Obama recently nominated the first transgender presidential appointee to a position in the Commerce Department.

We won't allow the patterns of violence and oppression against transgender individuals to continue. We value, not reject, all kinds of diversity. We will work to make the world safe for those with all kinds of gender expression.

If you have questions about being transgender, check out this pamphlet: "I think I might be transgender, now what do I do?"

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