Transgender Issues and Gender Dysphoria

Bendery, Jennifer. "Transgender Women to Make History at Democratic Convention" Huffingtonpost.com. HPMG News. 26 July 2016. Web. 27 July 2016.

The author of this article features a 25-year-old transgender woman by the name of Sarah McBride, a U.S. citizen who is making history by being the first Trans person to speak at a major party convention. Bendery enhances her credibility on the topic by posting an image of Sarah McBride speaking at the National Democratic Convention, which is watched by over 10 million viewers around the globe.

Since McBride is the National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, she knows specifically what issues need to be addressed at the convention above other underlying issues regarding the transgender community. She states that it's very important for her to shed some light on a community of individuals who society doesn't know much about and continues to do so by naming several issues Tran's people are still facing. Even though this article is fairly short in length, I think it's a solid representation of how serious the issue of gender inequality is and supports the position that the Demographic Party holds on the solution.

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McBride mentions that she hopes her appearance at the convention will be a sign of hope for someone out there, confused about their identity, and let them know they are not alone. I used this source in preparation for my research paper mainly because it highlights the first LGBT-friendly convention well with having the first ever trans speaker and included 27 transgender delegates attending the convention disproving advocates made in GOP's 2016 platform, which included support for same-sex marriages and adoption refusals to same-sex couples. This article gives me a sense of hope that Trans people will become accepted more in today's society. This is a scholarly source because I googled "trans community makes history" and I watched the Democratic Convention on television.

Brown, Jennifer. "New Horizon Ahead for Transgender Health Care." The Denver Post. 17 Dec 2015. ProQuest. Web. 8 Aug 2016.

This article introduces the issue of scarce health insurance offered to Tran's people seeking surgeries, mental-health therapy, hormonal medications and hair removal that would help them transition to another gender for little to no cost. The main idea presents a good argument supporting full-coverage medical insurance to transgender people in the United States.

What would be the difference between someone being covered by insurance to have the same surgeries but not be transgendered? Saying, if a company covers a hysterectomy or genital surgery for a car-accident victim or someone born with a genital anomaly, must the company cover that for a transgender person too? Still to this day, many insurance agencies and state government plan that no longer exclude all transgender care still exclude some transition-related procedures, often seeing them more as cosmetic than necessary. In 2014, the ban was lifted enabling Medicare to cover gender-reassignment procedures but that's limited to coverage for older Americans.

More and more states are changing policies to cover transitions costs for Medicaid recipients but it's a slow process. Studies have found that denying coverage for transgender-related health care has led to increased mental health problems, poorer overall health, and financial distress. I envision this article being very helpful to my research paper because it covers all the struggles of transgender-related insurance coverage issues throughout the United States and shares my opinion on the right of transgender equality. This is a scholarly source using factual evidence and cited sources throughout the article to support the writer's point of view and strengthens her argument.

Mottet, Lisa. "The education and policy needs of transgender Individuals.” Siecus Report 32.4 (2004): 35-8. ProQuest. Web. 1 Aug 2016.

This extremely informative article facilitates best to represent the overall safety risks transgender people are faced with daily. The author insists the audience understands her position by using several forms of emotional appeal that I find quite edifying and frightening at the same time. She starts the piece with explaining the lives of two transgender individuals (one man and one woman) who both have faced several instances where they were discriminated against and felt their lives were at risk in their own neighborhoods.

The paper goes on to explain how transgender, transsexual, cross-dressers and androgynous people are often harassed, discriminated on the job, denied proper healthcare, live below poverty levels, denied proper housing or living at a trans-friendly homeless shelters, and have to go through a difficult process of transferring their documents to fit their new name. It also states that thanks to trans students living and attending school in New Jersey, an anti-bullying and harassment policy was introduced into Congress and the bill passed making it a law protecting student's individuality in September 2002.

Mottet shows a clear source of credibility by providing factual evidence to support her claim that she is a legislative lawyer and is an active member of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. I believe this will be helpful to my research paper because it clearly lists the problems that Trans people have encountered for years and gives proposed solutions to those problems in the last section. This article is a scholarly source because it is copyrighted by the Sex Information and Education Council of the U.S. in fall 2004. This is an older article but it proves how long the struggle for acceptance has been increasing throughout the years.

The Editorial Board. "The Struggle of Transgender Workers." The New York Times Newspaper. 9 July 2015. Print. 22 July 2016.

This article explains how the Trans community is economically disadvantaged in ways that make finding a job that accepts transgender individuals without discrimination. It starts out by explaining the life of a transgender woman named Elaine Rita Mendus who struggled for months on end to find employment in New York after graduating college in her hometown located in Pennsylvania. The authors go on to explain bills to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees from discrimination have been brought up in Congress, but none have passed. If a federal law was passed protecting gender identity it would help by prompting employers to update personnel policies and increase awareness of illegally biased discrimination.

But today, laws barring gender identity-based discrimination vary considerably from state to state and city to city. Stronger legal protections can make a huge difference in our country. Even though they won't change intolerant attitudes overnight, they have historically helped other minorities and gradually made workplaces more inclusive and safer for all. I believe this newspaper article is helpful in my research because it highlights the struggles a transgender person puts up with in order to be employed. This article opens my eyes to what it's really like to be transgender and attempt to seek employment without the possibility of facing discrimination. This article is a scholarly source because it came from a printed copy of the New York Times, an actual source of the information published for the public.

Traci, Lowenthal G. "Why Gender-Neutral Bathrooms Matter." Redlands Daily Facts. 25 Apr 2015. ProQuest. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.

This article addresses the importance of gender-neutral bathrooms for Tran's people striving for acceptance in today's society while effectively clarifying accusations made against inclusive restrooms. The biggest argument presented against the legality of a person using the bathroom which corresponds with the gender they identify is the increased risk of pedophiles or sexual deviants taking advantage of a law passing like this to prey on women and young children. This article, in particular, justifies the rational idea that allowing transgender people access to the bathroom they are most comfortable does not put women and children's safety at risk. Also, presenting the fact that assaults are far more likely to be perpetrated by heterosexual, cisgender men than any other group.

Trans people often avoid food and drinks while out in public to refrain themselves from entering the bathroom. That issue alone could potentially cause numerous health problems as well as a build-up of anxieties and stress. The truth is that out of any other group, transgender individuals themselves are more often the victims of verbal and physical attacks. I know this article is going to be very helpful in writing my research paper because it targets a current issue the United States seems to be having on accepting the idea of implicating gender-neutral bathrooms in public facilities. This is a scholarly source because I found it on ProQuest and was published by the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.

Have you ever pondered life and questioned why can't you look and feel like you do on the inside? Or asked yourself why your biological sex assigned to you at birth conflicts with your internal sense of gender? Well, millions of people live their life daily feeling confused, distorted and depressed going day by day feeling physically unsatisfied with who they represent on the outside. The answer is quite simple; they are considered transgendered which is an umbrella term for something called gender dysphoria.

It's when a person is born into a body of a certain gender but on the inside, they identify themselves with another gender or no gender at all. To make life harder for these individuals trying to come to terms with their identity, a majority of people are either naïve to the challenges of being transgendered or hold strong feelings of resentment towards these people. The current nationwide controversy with Tran's people is the proper use of accessible facilities that correlate with their gender identities in schools, jobs, restaurants, medical and healthcare establishments, even the use of public restrooms and housing assistance.

I envision a place where everyone was treated equal and the discrimination and harassment regarding individuals who are considered "different" would be terminated for good. Things, like going to the movies or enjoying an evening downtown with your friends, are positive memories that most people treasure for a lifetime. But savoring events like this are far from enjoyable to transgender people. They feel isolated, not only by the body that they don't seem to fit but by the harsh, scrutinizing society of judgmental, arrogant, ignorant people that spit on the ground that others just like them walk on.

There are several theories as to why gender dysphoria exists. One theory presented is that during the period in utero when hormones help shape gender, an imbalance occurs that results in a male embryo having a feminized brain, or a female embryo having a masculinized brain. Some psychologists are completely convinced that gender dysphoria is most likely psychological in origin. Young children around the ages of 10 to 13 years old that are considering the transition for later on in life are given the option to take hormone-blocking medications that slow down their development into their biological sex.

Studies do show, however, that only 20 percent of these children actually follow through with transitions as adults. Children that express opposite sex behavior called childhood gender nonconformity. This doesn't describe a boy who has played with his sister's doll once or twice or tried on his mother's Sunday dress once, but rather one who consistently exhibits a host of strongly feminine traits and interests while avoiding boy-typical behavior like rough-and-tumble play. Children who demonstrate this behavior throughout childhood are 75 percent likely to be homosexual or bisexual by the time they reach adulthood.

There are several solutions to the gender inequality issue that can be addressed to suit all parties involved, including ones that are opposed to the idea. I sincerely believe that if people were more educated on the real struggles and hardships these people endure they would be more sympathetic in terms of assisting the transgender movement with compassion and kindness and tackling the prejudice thinking of others by leading with a positive example of concern and empathy.

With an increased awareness of the LGBT community comes an increasing amount of support and since transgender people are often victims of sexual assault and vulgar harassment, I believe they have a right to be covered by medical insurance to heal their soul with proper, non-biased counseling and therapy groups like ones offered to rape survivors and abuse victims. On top of that, there needs to be a law passed requiring all 50 states to either allow the transgender population to use the provided restrooms that correlate to their gender identities or construct a gender-neutral bathroom within their facility to accommodate to this new law passing. These are some of the main ideas I will present my research paper to help enhance awareness on this growing controversial issue.

There are numerous counter-arguments that can be made against my proposal on equal rights for everyone, presenting a challenge when brainstorming and writing this research paper. I want to take the opinions of others under consideration when I build my research paper that will reveal the positive outcomes of eliminating gender discrimination and how they outweigh the negative. I can predict I will have to take several breaks in my writing of this research paper to collect my thoughts. I personally am not transgendered nor do I plan on transitioning but I have seen gay and lesbian friends be threatened, physically assaulted, ridiculed and taunted.

I will do my best within the very short time I have to complete my research paper to stand up for what I know and believe is right when it comes down to defending the right to equal opportunities for all types of people, not only transgender individuals but women, children, gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual. This is fucking America people; we all deserve to be happy. So get over your pitiful anger towards the lack of represented festivity that Starbucks labeled on their holiday lattes, pull your heads out of your ass and realize that you're not the only person existing on this planet and others happiness is just as important as your own.

My brother was my best friend and had the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. He would always put the needs of others before himself. Growing up, I looked up to him and I could always consult him if I had a question or just needed to talk to someone. He considered himself to be gay, meaning he was attracted to men. His sexuality was a constant barrier between himself and several necessary accommodations required for him to live a substantial, healthy life with his serious back problems and struggle with his mental stability. He fought for 10 years to be put on disability but when my mother and I would go to appointments with him, I could see the discrimination when he was denied his medication and therapy treatments.

This, ultimately, lead him to down a spiraling tunnel of depression, fear of leaving the house and excessive drug use. We stopped sharing birthdays and Christmas' together and his gifts were always brought to his apartment, I was losing my big brother before my eyes and I was too young to even comprehend it. Shortly after I graduated high school on August 7th, 2012 I got a phone call from my mom in tears. My brother overdosed and was found lying on the floor in the fetal position with blood coming out of his mouth, ears, and nose. My world was blank, I couldn't eat, sleep, think, breathe. I lost my brother and I know the depression and drug use could have been contained if he was given the proper treatment and care in which he deserved.

References

1. Bendery, Jennifer. "Transgender Women to Make History at Democratic Convention" Huffingtonpost.com. HPMG News. 26 July 2016. Web. 27 July 2016. Brown, Jennifer. "New Horizon Ahead for Transgender Health Care." The Denver Post. 17 Dec 2015. ProQuest. Web. 8 Aug. 2016.
2. Mottet, Lisa. "The education and policy needs of transgender individuals." Siecus Report 32.4 (2004): 35-8. ProQuest. Web. 1 Aug 2016.
3. The Editorial Board. "The Struggle of Transgender Workers." The New York Times Newspaper. 9 July 2015. Print. 22 July 2016. Traci, Lowenthal G. "Why Gender-Neutral Bathrooms Matter." Redlands Daily Facts. 25 Apr 2015. ProQuest. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.

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