Q&A
How do I address someone who is transgender?
Transgender people should be identified with the pronoun that corresponds with the gender with which they identify. Echo the individual’s language. If you are unsure of someone’s gender, it is appropriate to respectfully ask their name and what pronoun they prefer, but do not ask them in front of other people. Some genderqueer people prefer gender neutral pronouns, such as “zie” and “hir.” Also, keep in mind that transgender people might use different pronouns with different groups of people for reasons of safety or comfort. Do not disclose someone’s transgender identity to anyone else without their explicit permission. This could compromise their safety or privacy.
Do all transgender individuals want to have sex reassignment surgery (SRS)?
Actual or desired surgical status is separate from one’s gender identity. Some transgender individuals feel “complete” once they have had surgery, while others opt to not have surgery because of limited funds, medical complications, or because they feel “complete” without surgery.
Transmen and Transwomen face different issues when deciding whether to transition through surgery. For example, many transmen choose not to undergo “bottom surgery”, or surgery that focuses on altering the genital system, because they are not pleased with the options available. Some specific operations may not accomplish much and can lead to decreased feelings of arousal. They may instead only choose to undergo “top surgery”, or surgery performed above the waist. It is important to remember that the risks and benefits involved with SRS are not the same for all transpeople. For more reading on the female-to-male transition experience, check out Becoming a Visible Man by Jamison Green.
Are transgender women only attracted to men, and transgender men only attracted to women?
Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same thing. Transgender individuals, like non-transgender and cisgender individuals, display the broad range of human sexuality. Transgender people can be straight, gay, bisexual, lesbian, or queer-identified.
Is being transgender a mental illness?
Absolutely not. Mental health professionals diagnose transgender individuals with Gender Identity Disorder, however, transgender identity is not a mental illness. Transgender individuals can experience great emotional distress from having their assigned sex be in conflict with their understanding of their own gender. This can be relieved through freely expressing their personal gender identity in safe, trans-inclusive environments.
Why are people transgender?
A number of theories exist but there is no scientific consensus as of yet. Some medical theories speculate that fluctuations or imbalances in hormones during pregnancy may be a factor. Some biologists claim that gender variation may just be natural and that more varieties than simply male and female exist. Many cultures believe in a multitude of genders and have different definitions of masculine and feminine. For example, the term “two-spirit” has historically been used to describe the mixed gender role embodied by some individuals among Indigenous North American tribes.
What is the Difference Between Transgender and Intersex?
Both intersex and transgender people want to define their own gender identity but it is important to recognize their differences. Transgender refers to a difference between one’s internal sense of gender and the sex they were assigned at birth. Intersex refers to several conditions where one’s genetic, reproductive or sexual anatomy does not fit societal definitions of male or female. For instance, some intersex people may be born with a penis and have female internal reproductive organs. Other intersex people have external genitals that are not clearly male or female. There is some overlap between transgender and intersex people: some transgender people have identifiable intersex conditions, and some intersex people decide their gender is not the gender they were assigned. However many transgender people are not intersexed, and many intersex people do not seek to change the gender they were assigned. Variation in sex anatomy and characteristics are normal and natural. This makes the designation of intersex conditions inherently a human decision. Some intersex people have had nonconsensual surgeries performed on them so that their bodies fit with societal definitions of male and female. While some intersex conditions manifest in metabolic differences that need medical treatment, nonconsensual surgeries for non-medical reasons are being recognized as psychologically and medically harmful.
Phrases to Avoid
- “Have you had “the surgery”?” or “Do you have a penis?” Never ask a transgender person about their genitals or medical procedures. You wouldn’t ask other people this kind of personal question. There is no single surgery or medical procedure that all transgender people undergo, and having surgery or taking hormones does not determine someone’s gender identity.
- “Pre-op” or “post-op” – Identifying people by their genital status/surgery may feel invasive or disrespectful.
- “Transvestite” – An outdated term for a cross-dresser, drag king, or drag queen.
- “Transgendered” – “transgender” is the preferred term.
- “A transgender” – This is an objectifying usage. You wouldn’t say “a gay.”
- “Tranny” – This is considered pejorative that has historically been used by non-transgender people as an epithet.
- “She-male” – This is a pornographic term for transgender women and is never acceptable.
- “Hermaphrodite” – An outdated word for an intersex person that is now considered offensive and is widely regarded as scientifically incorrect terminology.
Definitions
- Transgender: A broad umbrella term that applies to people who embody an innate sense of gender identity other than their birth sex. There are many kinds of people who fit this term and the rest of these terms describe some of them.
- Transsexual: Persons who seek to live in a gender different from the one assigned at birth and who may seek or want medical intervention (through hormones and/or surgery) for them to live comfortably in that gender. Transsexuals generally live full time as a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth.
- Trans man or “female-to-male” (FTM): A person who is assigned female at birth but identifies as male.
- Trans woman or “male-to-female” (MTF): A person who is assigned male at birth but identifies as female.
- Keep in mind, FTM and MTF are terms that are growing out of favor.
- It’s easy to remember when to use transman versus transwoman when you consider that the terms are meant to show respect to an individual's chosen identity.
- Genderqueer or gender-non-conforming: People who may think of themselves as being both man and woman, as being neither man nor woman, or as falling completely outside the gender binary.
- Cross-dresser: Someone who dresses in attire of a different gender. Cross-dressers generally do not have a desire to change their sex or gender.
- Drag queen or drag king: Someone who dresses in attire intended to strongly emphasize gender for the purposes of entertainment or personal fulfillment.
- Transphobia: Discrimination or prejudice against transgender people.
- Sex: Refers to the designation of the variety of biological differences between females and males. This is the scientific term for what makes males and females different. Not everyone fits into two categories.
- Gender Identity: Self-conception of one’s gender, which may or may not be congruent with physiology. This describes how people perceive their own internal sense of maleness, femaleness, or other gender identity, not necessarily their physical sex.
- Gender expression: Physical manifestation of one's gender identity, often expressed through clothing, accessories, mannerisms, and chosen names.
- Sexual Orientation: Describes to whom people are romantically or sexually attracted. Transgender people may be straight, gay, bisexual, or a variety of other sexualities.
- Intersex: Intersex people have physical characteristics that do not match the typical understandings of male and female. Some intersex people identify as trans gender while others do not.
- Cisgender: A person who is comfortable with the gender assigned to them at birth. Sometimes used as a blanket term to refer to non-transgender people.
- “Transition”: The process of living and being perceived as a gender other than that assigned at birth. The process of transitioning varies among transgender individuals. It may include counseling with a professional therapist, undergoing hormone therapy, having surgery of the face, chest, genitals or other areas, changing one’s name or preferred pronouns, or dressing as the preferred gender. Some transgender people do not transition at all, because they do not have the financial means, do not feel comfortable, fear for their safety, or do not feel that it is necessary.
Compiled with information from the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Intersex Society of North America, Transgender Michigan, and the Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation at Stanford University.
Brought to you by Outlaws and OUTbreak
Legal Barriers
Transgender people face unique challenges in the eyes of the law. Currently there are no federal protections for gender identity in employment, housing, or hate crime legislation. In the wider LGBT movement, the invisibility of the “T” often comes up in debates and discussion around legislation that protects LGB individuals but not members of the transgender community. Controversy around the Employment Non-Discrimination Act or the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ without the inclusion of transpeople are examples.
There is specific protection against transgender discrimination in a few states and also smaller cities (including Ann Arbor). For a map of which states protect transgender people under the law, go or for specific jurisdictions click HERE. (In case you’re wondering, Michigan is not one of them) In 2009 in Michigan, House Bill 4192 was introduced to amend 1976 PA 453, “Elliot-Larsen civil rights act”. House Bill 4192 would include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression as protected status in prohibiting discrimination. The bill did not pass during the 2009-2010 legislative cycle and so must be re-introduced in a future congressional session.
Identity Documents
Many transgender people decide to change their names in order to reflect their current gender. While all states have legal procedures for name changes, several states do not offer legal recognition of changes of gender. Some states require a person to have undergone sex reassignment surgery in order to obtain a legal gender change. It is extremely challenging to undergo sex reassignment surgery; it is highly expensive, it takes years to obtain medical and psychological permission, and some people are not healthy enough to go through the procedures involved. (Furthermore, transitioning is a slow process with many procedures, including hormone therapy and numerous surgeries. Some choose to undergo some of these procedures while others may opt to undergo none.) These barriers make it extremely difficult for trans people to obtain new proper documents such as driver's licenses, social security numbers, birth certificates, immigration documents, passports, credit cards, etc. Without the consistent identification most people take for granted, it can be impossible to travel, open a bank account or apply for a job. Furthermore, life can be made more challenging when names, faces, and genders are inconsistent across identity documents, as is commonly the case when one is transitioning.
Consider the following situation: Tim, a transman living in California, wants to go through the process of updating official documents. He has not undergone sex reasssignment surgery for financial and personal reasons. Since in California, the name and gender on a driver's license may be changed without a court order, Tim's driver's license will reflect his current name and gender. However, since U.S. passports only recognize gender changes if the person has medical signoff of a completed transition, Tim will have a different gender listed on his passport than on his CA license, which can be difficult to explain and even unsafe in some countries. For this reason, many transgender people do not have passports - it is a common narrative for trans people to feel that they are trapped inside the country.
Marriage and Domestic Partnership laws
Because of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the fact that the vast majority of US states do not allow same-sex marriage, gender absolutely matters. Right now six states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex unions. The current administration supports the Respect for Marriage Act, currently under review by the Subcommittee on the Constitution. This act amends the Defense of Marriage Act. The amendment looks to remove the definition of spouse (currently a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife). It also provides that in purposes of any “federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual’s marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into” (H.R. 1116 Respect for Marriage Act). Current marriage laws make it confusing for trans people to know who they can legally marry: should they enter a domestic partnership (in places where legal)? Should they marry according to their birth gender or current gender (which has confusing legal ramifications based on the status of that person's identity documents)? If they have not fully legally transitioned, what implications does that have? Who can they marry if their driver's license is accurate to their current gender but their birth certificate is not? Will their marriage be invalidated if they transition after marrying? These are all questions that trans people are forced to think about.
Employment Non-Discrimination
Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia currently ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Only fifteen states ban employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity. As of now, it is legal to fire (or refuse to hire) a transgender person in 35 states just because they are trans or gender non-conforming. Because it is so difficult for trans people to have perfectly accurate and congruous legal documents, and because many jobs require background checks, gender will often come up when hiring. Employers are increasingly required to match employees’ personal data with social security accounts to verify work status. This can be a barrier to many transgender individuals whose various forms of identification do not match. This makes it challenging for trans people to acquire and retain jobs (especially where discrimination is legal), which makes it difficult for them to attain funds for surgery, thus making it even more impossible to obtain the correct legal documents.
Hate Crimes Legislation
On October 28, 2009, President Obama signed the FY2010 Defense Authorization Bill, which includes the Matthew Shepard/James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This is the first federal law to recognize the existence of, and provide civil rights protections for, transgender people. It provides for the tracking of hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This is a great step forward, but there is still need for state-based legislation. Currently, twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia include sexual orientation under their hate crime legislation, but only thirteen of these states and DC protect gender identity or expression under hate crime laws. This means that attacking someone for being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is considered a hate crime (in the twenty-nine states and DC), but attacking someone for being trans is simply considered an assault, which has a much lower punishment. Click HERE for more information on transgender hate crimes. In the state of Michigan the following cities have transgender-inclusive anti-discrimination laws dealing with public accommodation, housing, employment and edcuational opportunities: Ann Arbor, Detroit, East Lansing, Ferndale, Grand Rapids, Hamtramck, Huntington Woods, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Saugatuck city, Saugatuck Township, and Ypsilanti.
Profile of a Judicial Pioneer: Victoria Kolakowski
Victoria Kolakowski, a lawyer and administrative law judge with over 20 years of legal experience ran for Superior Court Judge in Alameda County, California and is now the nation’s first openly transgender trial judge. After initially being barred from the Louisiana State Bar Examination, in which the association cited gender transformation as the reason for prohibition, the Louisiana Supreme Court sided with Kolakowski and she continued on through her illustrious career. She underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1991, during her final year at Louisiana Sate University. In 1994, she was named “Woman of the Year” by the East Bay Lesbian/Gay Democratic Club, and in 1995, she was named Outstanding Woman of Berkeley by the Berkeley Commission on the Status of Women. In 2008, Kolakowski happily married her partner, Cynthia Laird, shortly before Proposition 8 halted same-sex marriages in California. She is also an ordained minister in the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.
Compiled with information from the Transgender Law and Policy Institute, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the Emma Goldman Society for Queer Liberation at Stanford University.
Brought to you by OUTbreak
Transitioning
Coming Out as Transgender
Every transperson’s experience is different in terms of how, if, when and why they choose to come out as transgender. Some may choose to come out publicly, whereas others may only feel safe and comfortable sharing their identity with a few trusted people. Though many out transgender individuals live happy and healthy lives, for many coming out and transitioning can be a dangerous and intimidating endeavor.
Choosing to Transition
Transitioning is a process, not an event, that can take months to years. The overall goal of transitioning is to achieve comfort with one’s gendered self, allowing maximal psychological well-being and self-fulfillment. An individual’s transition may involve a number of interventions such as legal (and social) name/pronoun change, wardrobe adjustments, removal of certain body hair through electrolysis or waxing, breast-binding, wearing prosthesis, vocal training, hormone therapy, and surgical interventions. Each individual finds a unique path through transitioning-- not all individuals pursue any given intervention (ex: many trans identified individuals do not take hormones or have surgery). Some people who transition aim to “pass” in the general public as a member of their desired sex, whereas others do not (ex: gender-queer individuals may not identify as entirely male or female, and may not seek to pass as either a man or woman).
Guidelines for the health care provider assistance of transitioning are outlined by the Standards of Care (SOC) set by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Although the SOC are changing, these steps traditionally included counseling with a mental health professional, learning about available options and medical treatments, conducting a trial period of “real life experience” (during which one lives as their desired gender, often about one year), and medical recommendations regarding the administration hormone treatment.
Gender Identity Disorder (GID) Diagnosis
In the medical community transgender individuals are diagnosed as having Gender Identity Disorder (GID). The GID diagnosis and nomenclature is fraught with controversy and stigma. The American Psychiatric Association defines GID as long-standing “discomfort with one’s assigned sex or a sense of inappropriateness in the gender role of that sex.”
Given theories of the social construction of gender and the continuum of gender, many reject the GID diagnosis as incorrectly labeling transgender individuals as having a psychopathology or a “disorder.” Gender diversity is normal and not a psychiatric illness; it has been suggested that the distress or psychopathology associated with gender dysphoria may largely result from oppression and intolerance, rather than distress inherent to being transgender. Many queer activists are now working to remove transgender identity from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in much the same way that homosexuality was removed from the DSM decades ago. Conversely, some argue that the diagnosis is an important tool to obtain health insurance coverage for the procedures and medications used in transitioning.
Ultimately, beyond the controversy over the DSM diagnosis, the medical profession still regards transitioning differently than other medical treatments. The current standard of care requires that any person seeking to transition must be first cleared by a psychiatrist to prove that they are of sound mind and are able to comprehend the decision that they are making. No other operation or treatment in medicine (including plastic surgery, experimental drug trials, or forgoing CPR/life-saving treatment) requires this prior approval universally.
Health and Transitioning
Though research is sparse data suggests that the mental health of trans-people improves after transitioning; pre-transition suicide attempt rates are estimated to be has high as 41% compared to suicide rates below <1% following sex reassignment surgery. However, depression and anxiety rates are higher among transgender individuals than the general population both pre- and post-transitioning, likely relating to the societal stigma and barriers faced by transgender individuals. There are also important physical health considerations, that influence one's experience of transitioning. For example, hormones are not considered medically safe for all individuals (for example estrogen replacement is contraindicated for people that smoke or have high blood pressure). Individuals must weigh the risks and benefits of any given medical transitioning intervention. For example, estrogen may help a male-to-female transperson develop breasts and redistribute body fat, but may increase the risk of blood clotting, impact liver function and worsen high blood pressure. Similarly, testosterone may help female-to-male trans-individuals grow facial hair, deepen their voices, and build muscle, but it may also cause mood shifts and negatively affect one's liver.
Barriers to Transitioning
Transphobia exists in families, workplaces and communities. Many transphobic sentiments are not intentionally malicious, but are instead the result of ignorance; regardless of their origin it is important that we as allies acknowledge and work to address transphobia and the many barriers it creates for transitioning.
- Ostracism and Violence: Some trans-people are ostracized from their families or support circle, some lose their jobs and even their houses for coming out as transgender. Transgender individuals also face alarmingly high rates of violence and may be the target of hate crimes; according to one national study 26% of transpeople have faced physical violence because of their transgender identity.
- Discrimination: In most states, including Michigan, their are no state laws banning discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression, putting people transitioning in the workplace in a particularly vulnerable situation. Job discrimination due to gender expression contributes to the high poverty rate among transgender individuals; it is estimated that transgender individuals are four times more likely to be in poverty than non-transpeople. Some cities and institutions, including Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, have adopted internal anti-discrimination policies.
- Legal: There are a number of legal hurdles to consider when transitioning, including the process of changing one’s name and gender on important documents. (see Part 2: Legal Barriers).
- Access: An estimated 50% of transgender people lack any form of insurance. As a result, many transgender people miss out on important routine screening for heart disease, cancers, STIs, and other illnesses. In the United States, transgender people with insurance often cannot access medically necessary care because most public and private insurance policies exclude coverage for transgender-related services (notably, Medicaid does cover hormone therapy). In contrast, in Great Britain, the Netherlands and Australia procedures such as sex reassignment are accepted as the standard of care and are paid for by national health insurance. If they can access medical services, transgender people may have a hard time finding a doctor they trust or a doctor knowledgeable about interventions such as hormone therapy. These barriers lead some transgendered individuals to take potentially dangerous action such as seeking black-market hormones to facilitate their transition.
Profile of a Public Transition: Chaz Bono
Chaz Bono is a spokesperson for transgender rights, having transitioned from female to male in the public eye between 2008 and 2010. He was born Chastity Bono to entertainers Sonny and Cher. Chaz is a writer for the Advocate, a national LGBT magazine. He has written three books about his life as a trans-man, including “Transition” and portrayed his experiences in a documentary called “Becoming Chaz.” Most recently, Chaz appeared as a competitor on Dancing with the Stars.
Compiled with information from the National Center for Transgender Equality, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and World Professional Association for Transgender Health
Brought to you by OUTbreak and BGLAM
Additional Sources:
-American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders I-V. Washington, DC, 1994.
-Dean et al. 2000. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health: Findings and Concerns. Journal of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. 4(3): 102-151. (DOI: 10.1023/A:1009573800168)
Military Service
Much of the public debate around LGBT military service has centered primarily on gay and lesbian service members, and not on the many service members whose gender identity continues to place them at risk for discharge.
Can transgender people serve in the military?
No. The Department of Defense has regulations preventing transgender people from serving in the military based on physical and mental factors. During a service member’s scheduled physical exam the military can learn of their sex reassignment surgery which is classified by the military as “major abnormalities and defects of the genitalia.” This can lead to the discharge of the service member.
Even if a service member has not had surgery they can still be discharged if they openly identify as transgender. This is considered a disqualifying psychiatric condition under the category of “psychosexual conditions.”
Additionally, wearing clothing that the military does not consider gender appropriate can be labeled as “cross-dressing” and will likely lead to discipline or criminal prosecution.
Wait, wasn't Don't Ask, Don't Tell repealed?
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) regulates military service by lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and does not address service by transgender individuals. Therefore, the repeal of DADT does not directly address transgender service. However while DADT was in force, it did have negative impact on the lives of transgender service members. Even though DADT did not directly apply to transgender identity, transgender and other gender-nonconforming individuals were often perceived as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. This increased the likelihood that they would be investigated under DADT. Thus DADT targeted service members regardless of actual sexual orientation. Further, DADT disproportionately affected service members who were female, female-bodied, or on the FTM continuum.
The repeal of DADT alleviates some of the scrutiny to which transgender service members are subject to, but it does not sufficiently address the major difficulties faced by transgender individuals within existing military policy and culture. Transgender service members continue to experience great emotional distress from being forced to conceal their true gender identity and kept from aligning their appearance with their internal sense of gender while in service. DADT’s repeal has been celebrated as a victory for the LGBT community, despite its explicit exclusion of transgender people. Given the existing issues of transgender invisibility within the wider LGBT movement, this has been a source of resentment for many in the queer and trans community.
Service Member Experiences
The Transgender American Veterans Association conducted a survey of transgender veteran and service member experiences across all branches of the military. Their results showed:
- Of the participants who identified as transsexual, 97% reported they were unable to transition before leaving the military.
- A full 38% of survey respondents reported that when they were in the military, people suspected or directly asked if they were gay. In addition, 14% had been questioned by an officer about their sexual orientation.
- These violations of “don’t ask, don’t tell” varied by gender. Transmen were almost two times more likely to report they were suspected of being gay than transwomen.
- Nearly one third of the survey participants reported having experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace; the same amount reported some other form of non-employment related discrimination, such as being unable to obtain identification documents that reflected their new name and gender.
The full report can be found HERE.
What about veterans?
For transgender veterans seeking medical care, data shows that those who access Veterans Administration(VA) hospitals often tend to be older, unemployed or underemployed, and low-income or living in poverty. Transgender veterans in the VA system are much more vulnerable than the larger transgender veteran population and acquire care through VA institutions likely due to lack of alternatives.
There are clear disparities in access to healthcare from within the VA for transgender individuals. Transgender patients in the VA system report discrimination/harassment, denial of services, and disrespect from across all levels of staff including VA doctors, non-medical staff, and nurses. Around one-third of those using VA services broach the subject of medical gender transitions with VA staff and most have their requests denied. The new Veteran’s Association (VA) directive seeks to address some of these issues. It states that all VA staff must provide transgender patients care “without discrimination in a manner consistent with care and management of all Veteran patients.” This directive also reiterates coverage for medically necessary healthcare for transgender veterans such as sex-specific care like mammograms and pap smears and transition-related care like hormonal therapy and mental health services. The VA still does not perform or pay for sex reassignment surgery in accordance with existing regulation.
Due to the inability of transgender service members to be open about their identity the number of transgender veterans is not known. However, according to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey20% of its 6,450 transgender survey respondents are veterans.
What are global views on transgender military service?
The current U.S. military orientation to transgender service members – which is both pathologizing and punitive – is not the only possible approach. At least 10 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Israel, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and the United Kingdom permit transgender military service in some form. Around the world, integrated militaries with provisions for transgender service are not only possible, but supported. For example, Canada’s Department of National Defence pays for sex reassignment surgeries in certain cases. Research suggests that allowing coverage for medical gender transitions would not create a financial burden on the military (or other organizations such as businesses and universities, for that matter) due to the small percentage of people actually seeking these interventions.
Profile of a Veteran: Autumn Sandeen
Autumn Sandeen is a Persian Gulf War veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy from 1980 to 2000 as a Fire Controlman. In the Navy she traveled the northern hemisphere, and was assigned during her career to bases in Great Lakes, Illinois; Long Beach, California; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Staten Island, New York; and San Diego. After retiring from the U.S. Navy and receiving her initial disability rating from the VA, she began transitioning as a male-to-female transsexual on February 6, 2003. She is a proud transgender activist and speaks to audiences around the country about her experience in the military. Autumn has been on the steering committee of the Transgender Advocacy And Services Center (TASC) of San Diego. She has previously served as a member of the Transgender Equality Alliance (TEA) of California and past secretary of the Transgender American Veteran’s Association (TAVA). Autumn is currently the Transgender Chair of DOD Fed Globe‘s Board of Directors, and a provisional board member of GetEqual.
Compiled with information from Transgender American Veterans Association, Service Members Legal Defense Network and National Center for Transgender Equality
Brought to you by OUTbreak and the School of Social Work TBLG Dean’s Initiative
Global Diversity
Globally, there is tremendous diversity in how people express their gender and sexuality. In the United States, social tendency is to assume a binary way of thinking about gender and sexuality: male vs female and heterosexual vs homosexual. The truth however, in the United States and in the rest of the world, is much more complicated. In this final component of the series, we profile diversity in gender and sexuality in Asia and Africa, and provide resources to more perspectives on the rich variety of experiences of gender and sexuality that exist around the world. We aim to show both the harsh reality that many people whose gender or sexuality does not conform to social expectations face, and also the joyful expressions of gender and sexuality that LGBT people show on a daily basis all over the world.
This part of the E-series does not seek to represent the full range of global gender diversity, but rather to serve as a starting point for future learning. We invite you to visit this Map of Gender-Diverse Cultures around the world to learn more about the ‘thriving cultures that have recognized, revered, and integrated more than two genders.’
Transgender in Africa
Transgender visibility in Africa is greatly hindered by the fact that a majority of the countries on the continent provide no legal protections for trans people. In fact, many transgender individuals are severely punished for who they are. Because stigmatizing attitudes toward transgender individuals pervade the continent, activists and allies become victims of a number of crimes ranging from discrimination to murder.
One of the most well-known activists for the transgender community is Juliet Victor Mukasa. As a defender of human rights, she has detailed a number of issues that transgender individuals face in their communities including being shunned by their families, evicted from their homes, raped to prove gender, job loss, and public humiliation. Mukasa has expressed that in Africa, as in the US, there is a strong emphasis on gender as a binary in which being transgender violates publicly accepted gender norms.
A British organization, Changing Attitude, presents an example of the daily life of a transgender female:
“A Ugandan transsexual woman, Ms Beyonce has made a desperate call to Uganda Police for protection from public molestation, including physical beatings for allegedly ‘looking abnormal.’ Ms Beyonce, who was born Benjamin Tushabe, in an interview with Behind the Mask on July 3, in Kampala said she has been molested five times in less than two months.”
Many transgender individuals and activists often flee their communities to escape the oppression and hostility they face on a daily basis.
Resources for the transgender community in Africa are very scarce, but activism for transgender rights has begun growing throughout the continent. The first specifically transgender organization in Africa, Gender DynamiX, was founded in Cape Town, South Africa. Gender DynamiX works to increase visibility, challenge people to re-examine their attitudes toward the transgender community, and work to self-empower transgender individuals. Their website gives the opportunity for transgender Africans to offer their stories:
“I have gone through trauma my whole life because the whole community hated the fact that I acted like a girl. What they didn’t know was that it was not a choice I had made but something I was born with. I am God’s creation just like everybody else. I was beaten many times and even lost part of my hearing that way. The hardest thing was that I could not confide in anyone since in Zimbabwe it is taboo and illegal to be the way I was (transgender). My life and the life of my parents’ were at risk because people were threatening to burn down our house. That is when I decided to run away, in order to protect both myself and my family. I decided to come to South Africa, where I have met wonderful and caring people through Gender DynamiX. My life is just starting to make sense and I have a little bit of peace in my heart, something that I haven’t felt before.”
-Find out more about transgender issues in Kenya from human rights activist Audrey Mbugua.
-This video sponsored by Gender DynamiX is of a gathering of African transgender activists from across southern Africa.
Transgender in Asia and the Pacific Islands
In Asian and Pacific Islander cultures, the idea of a “third gender” was fairly common before the introduction of Western influences. This third gender was respected and even revered in certain places. However, after European colonialism, the third gender became stigmatized. Despite this negativity, the third gender continues to persevere and is expressed in various identities throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands. Here are a few examples.
Thailand’s ladyboys, also known as the katoey, are biological males who live as women. Some katoeys only dress as women while others take female hormones during puberty to hinder masculine growth or decide to have full sex-reassignment surgery. Many of them work as performers and some are involved in the sex-work industry. Since Thailand is largely Buddhist, tolerance is a common and widespread theme, which may explain why katoeys find more acceptance in society, compared to their Western counterparts. However, prejudice still exists, with no legal recognition for them. Even after sex-reassignment surgery, they are still unable to change their legal sex status. There is also the prevalent idea that Thais hold that an individual is born as a katoey in this life to atone for offenses in past lives, so katoeys should be pitied and not condemned.
In Samoa, fa’afafine are biological males who live and dress as women. Their acceptance in society more than likely stems from the old tradition of raising some boys as girls due to an abundance of boys and a lack of girls in the family. This was done to ensure that the mother had help with the household chores because the role of the woman in this culture holds great significance. Since these boys were given tasks that only women performed, they were then raised as if they were females. As they grew older, they would continue to perform the women’s tasks. Nowadays, if a boy demonstrates effeminate behavior and an inclination toward the woman’s role, the parents may recognize the child as fa’afafine and allow the child to choose their own path. If the boy wants to become a fa’afafine, he is taught the woman’s role. Fa’afafine are known to be hard-working people because they carry out the women’s duties and are also able to fulfill the men’s responsibilities as well. They are also known for their charitable deeds. One example is their annual beauty pageant in which the proceeds are donated to organizations that help those who are elderly or disabled.
-Find out more about what it’s like to be fa’afafine in New Zealand, HERE.
-For a TED Talk by, Lakshmi Tripathi, a transgender activist from India, click HERE.
Profile of a Champion: Nong Toom
One of the most famous katoeys is the Muay Thai boxer Parinya Kiatbusaba, otherwise known as Nong Toom. She is a kickboxing champion with 22 professional wins and 18 knockouts under her belt. During her boxing career, she would fight in full make-up and wig and occasionally drop a kiss on her opponent’s cheek after besting them in the ring. In 1999, she underwent full sex-reassignment surgery. As a result, she is no longer allowed to box professionally, but teaches Muay Thai to children. Her life story has been portrayed in an award-winning movie called “Beautiful Boxer.”
Compiled with information from Changing Attitude, Gender DynamiX, Charting the Pacific, Tevolve, Bangkok Ladyboy Shows, Horizon Muay Thai, National Geographic, and Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
More on global transgender rights at Human Rights Watch
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