Transgender Community in Contemporary American Society - Research Paper Example

English research Topic: Is there a place for the transgender community in contemporary American Society? Introduction For years, transgender people have struggled for protection, acceptance and visibility even among other minorities. However, the lesbian and gay population has gained increased protection and visibility as the list of states legalizing gay marriages continues to grow. Recent research has revealed that there are over 700, 000 individuals in the United States who are transgender. Transgender should not be confused with sexual orientations, genitalia or sex since it is based solely on gender identity. The transgender people are incredibly diverse. Some identify themselves as female or male, some as nonbinary, genderqueer or agender, some of them undergo surgery or take hormones as part of their transition. The paper is a research about whether there is a space for transgendered people in the contemporary American society (Stotzer, 172). The place for the transgendered communities in the contemporary American society Transgendered individuals face diverse types of discrimination or oppression in the United States of America and around the globe although the political and social progress that are willing to grant them basic needs. Harper, Gary, and Schneider, (243) reveals that although, transgendered individuals and communities have engaged actively in social actions and community organizations since an early twentieth century, studies on their problems has been missing within psychology field that is focused on community actions and research. The research reveals that social and psychological impact of rejection, oppression, harassment, discrimination and violence towards the transgender people is revived with recent developments in the area of public regulation, research on transgender health are elaborated. Recent developments within the community psychology field concerning transgender action and research are highlighted. They state that action has been taken to help incorporate the skills and knowledge within transgender individuals with community models of psychology involving prevention, involvement and social transformation to construct better intervention and theory for the transgender communities and people. Discrimination against transgender individuals has resulted in the establishment of movements such as the gay and lesbian liberation movement which has changed the culture of the American people as well as their views towards the transgender community. The move has enabled individuals who had faced isolation and discrimination due to their gender identity to forge communities in which they may find a sense of belonging understanding and acceptance. The transgender community experiences a lot of challenges in the country. From high rates of harassment, poor health, poverty, violence, isolation from larger communities and limited job opportunities, transgender communities, especially transgender people of color and transgender women, are among the most discriminated individuals challenges in the United States of America. Transgender people of color and transgender women are often mistreated by the police. They are likely to face threats, harassment, sexualb and physical violence. While advocates work to remedy the various disparities, transgender individuals should not expect change too soon. Visibility associated with the positive transgender image in the media and society has continued to create a vital difference for them. However, visibility is not enough and is often linked to the real risk towards the safety of the transgender people who are part of the marginalized community. That is the reason the human rights campaign is committed towards continuing advocate and support for the transgender community so that such individuals who are neighbors, friends, family members and coworkers may have an equal chance to thrive and succeed (Stotzer, 173) Stotzer, (173) argues that transgender individuals face several challenges in the contemporary society. The challenges include; living in abject poverty and discrimination from members of the community. Their income is estimated to be four times less the income of the general public. Stotzer indicates that transgender people experience discrimination, mistreatment, and harassment in the workplace. Besides, many people have lost their jobs the fact being they are transgender. According to Stotzer, access to healthcare is also a challenge to the transgender individuals. Some of them postpone their medical attention for fear of discrimination while others have been denied medical care. Additionally, some transgendered people have fallen victims of violence in offices of medical attendants while others have faced harassments in medical settings. However, there are three different sources of information in the US concerning the types and rates of aggression that transgendered individuals experience in their lives. Stotzer’s book outlines the sources as follows; social services records and hotline calls, police reports and self-report surveys. Information and methodologies derived from these sources are studied deeply. The sources show that violence faced by transgender individuals begins early in life. The journal shows that transgender individuals are prone to many incidences of violence which affect them throughout their life. Burdge (245) defines gender as a social contract that is ubiquitous. It wields the power to every person in the community. The traditional paradigm of gender is oppressive particularly for transgendered individuals whose sense of being transgendered is contrasting with their assigned gender at birth. These people are prevalent to mistreatment when other people try to enforce boundaries of conventional gender. Burdge discusses oppressions that are gender based and the psychological consequences faced by many transgendered individuals. The discussion creates an important analysis of gender paradigms that are dominant by use of two different theoretical angles on gender. The theories are social constructionism and queer theory. Burdge (246) argues that the transgender people are prone to dangers. Therefore, a practice of empowering the population requires the social workers to aim at designing a societal dichotomy for change. One of the most overwhelming outcomes of discrimination is that transgender communities of color go through serious health disparities when they are compared with their counterparts. These issues go unattended because of the reduced rates of attention health coverage and the hesitancy of these communities to seek medical attention as a result of lack of competent health care. The health disparities in transgender communities of color are at a high-risk level for various health reasons and often find it difficult to get treatment from competent health practitioners. One of the remarkable health disparities is the rates at which sexually transmitted infections spread (Doan, 64). Additionally, transgendered women face their unique health problem. Research indicates that most of the transgender women of color suffer from high blood pressure and depression compared to their white counterparts. Apart from facing elevated stress, transgender women of color also experience high risks of sexually transmitted infections alongside intense health complications from inducing silicone and black market hormone. In spite of the risk factors, transgender people are not likely to visit doctors for frequent check-ups compared to the other normal population. Besides, research shows that the transgender people are dramatically underinsured and uninsured as a result of employment, practices in the health insurance industry, discrimination for recognition in a relationship and the use of preexisting situation exclusion to refuse medical cover. Generally, transgender people of color are most likely to be uninsured as or transgender whites. The regional studies show that about 15% of the transgender people of color are likely to be uninsured. This is compared to the 10% of the total transgender population. At the national rank, transgender workers of color mostly fall in the level of the uninsured since they are underemployed or unemployed (Stotzer, 173). They cannot access medical insurance since they are unemployed. Their unemployment may because of their sexuality, race or gender uniqueness. These hindrances are beyond their control. Doan (58) reveals the intense relationship that exists between transgendered individuals and America cities and states. The author targets the link between transgendered individuals and queer spaces within the cities. According to Doan (60), queer spaces are located at the margin of the society and create a haven for transgendered individuals who are oppressed by the hetero-normative urban nature. Doan conducted his research on one hundred and forty-nine transgendered people. Findings from the research show that despite queer spaces acting as a measure of protection towards transgendered individuals, the gendered effect of such spaces often lead to increasing levels of violence and harassment towards such population. Doan (70), a different view point of gender is required to develop queer urban spaces that are transgender friendly in the United States of America. Studies show that people who support diverse gender norms are more likely to experience social effects that include outright violence and discrimination. The action makes such people the least protected and vulnerable in queer spaces with fifty percent of the victims experiencing harassment and violence, twenty-five percent experiencing violent assault and the remaining thirty-five percent being suicidal. Doan (71) has revealed the actions of transgender activists towards curbing discrimination, victimization, and oppression by education the people on gender variance and human rights. Conclusion Discrimination and oppression of the transgendered community in the contemporary America society should be brought to an end. Transgender people are discriminated at their place work; some are denied access to apartment and houses belonging to neighbors with others being rejected by their families. However, there are signs that American people are increasingly willing to recognize and respect the rights of the transgendered community. Reference list Burdge, Barb J. "Bending gender, ending gender: Theoretical foundations for social work practice with the transgender community." Social Work 52.3 (2007): 243-250. Doan, Petra L. "Queers in the American city: Transgendered perceptions of urban space." Gender, Place and Culture 14.1 (2007): 57-74. Harper, Gary W., and Margaret Schneider. "Oppression and discrimination among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people and communities: A challenge for community psychology." American journal of community psychology 31.3-4 (2003): 243-252. Stotzer, Rebecca L. "Violence against transgender people: A review of United States data." Aggression and Violent Behavior 14.3 (2009): 170-179. Read More