“The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique”
– Walt Disney.
Being Trans(gender) means to have a gender identity that is different than the one you were thought to be at birth. Although not everyone’s gender identity is just as cut and dry like those mentioned above. There are plenty of Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) individuals as well that transitions. Those people are also transgender, making their body and appearance align with their gender identity, whether it be binary or nonbinary.
There are many different variations of transgender identities, but the overall definition is that the body does not match or aligned with the gender-identity the individual feels more comfortable with. A transgender man or transman for short is someone who was born female but identifies and lives as a male individual. A transgender woman or transwoman is someone who was male at birth but lives and identifies as a female individual. These aren’t the only transgender identities but are the most common in mainstream media.
Everyone has a gender identity, transgender or not. Cisgender people normally don’t think about their gender identity because it is well established, unlike transgender folks. (people’s whose body aligns with their gender/sex at birth.) Not every transgender person goes through the same process of transitioning as one another but a lot go through similar stages. There is no one right way to transition nor is there an accurate representation of a transgender person just by listening to one person’s personal experience.
Also not everyone uses the same words around the world, when it comes to gender identities, these are just the most common words used for identities in the United States. Places like Canada and the United Kingdom have grown more accepting to transgender folks, due to the accessibility to the health care they need, whether it be therapy, HRT, or gender reassignment surgeries. Also, they allow transgender people to enlist in their country's military forces under the gender they identify with, unlike the United States. Denmark is one of the only countries that allows no medical intervention for legal documentation changes to happen solely based on self-identity as long as they are over the age of 18. Many other countries still see that being transgender is a medical condition, and in some ways, it is depending on the context of the condition. Australia is a country that will acknowledge gender change but only if they have proof of gender reassignment surgeries or medical procedures.
Transgender or not, everyone deserves human basic rights. According to the Declaration of Independence, it is a fundamental right “….with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….” (Declaration of Independence.) To be the source of the problems is unfathomable. Taking away someone’s rights because you don’t believe in their “lifestyle” or that you believe that they are all mental and unstable is not what the Constitution is about, nor is The Bill of Rights. Those documents were made to protect the Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness of the American people.
Denying a human’s existence is uncalled for. So why do so many people especially those with power in the local, state and federal government deny the existence of transgender people? Not acknowledging their existence is denying a whole sub-section of the human population. Although only 0.3% of American adults identify as trans(gender) that doesn’t mean the government of any level should deny them protection, their existence, and rights. Instead of progressing forward, the United States of America is moving backward.
Like anyone other sub groups of an American citizen, trans people do exist and they deserve the rights to have proper health care, legal support, a safe workplace environment, fair housing, and the right to use the bathroom they feel like they identify with the most. However, lawmakers have responded to these issues differently than what we would hope for. Hoping to clarify and educate those who are ignorant about transgender people and the rights to use a bathroom.
In most cases, transgender people either hide or delay their transition in order to avoid discrimination, losing a job, to stay away from an unsafe living environment, homelessness, verbal and physical abuse, and losing friends and family. Yes, this also applies to those with different sexual orientations other than identifying as straight, but numbers are so much higher with transgender people. At least now, there is laws, policies, and protection for sexual orientations in the workplace more so than those for gender identities.
Transitioning is a very complex but individual process that isn’t the same for all. Many people do have similar transitioning acts, such as name change, legal pronoun change, legal documentation change, surgical procedures, and HRT. Some but not all undergo the same treatments to help align their body with their gender identity. It has been proven that it helps them live a healthier life. Hopefully lowering the statistics of attempted suicides. Just starting by providing a safe place for transgender people to feel welcome like in a school institution or a public restaurant is a step in the right direction. The community as a whole can educate themselves and try to be open to those who may seem different but are more similar than you think.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, and you’ll find out that transgender people are the same as everyone else, nothing about their gender-identity will be an indicator of what they really are as a person, an individual.