An introduction to:
GENDER, TRANSGENDER AND TRANSPHOBIA
By: Sandra Laframboise RPN
Beth Long Law Student
Published by: High Risk Project Society
Advisory committee:
Michelle Let for Zenith foundation
Sandra Laframboise for HRP
Deborah Brady Transgender member
Monique King youth Transgender
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High Risk Project Society
INTRODUCTION
This booklet is about transgendered people and the discrimination that transgendered
people face. It is primarily intended for people who have not had much exposure to the
issues of transgendered people, but who wish to understand those issues and want to
minimize the incidence and effects transphobia through their own awareness and
behaviour.
In order to understand gender-based discrimination, or "transphobia," it is necessary to
understand "transgender." And to understand transgender, we must appreciate what
"gender" is, and how it works. This booklet will explore the meaning of gender and
challenge the idea that gender is the same thing as sex. Gender is a social creation, not a
natural function of sex.
The term "transgender" refers to individuals whose gender expression and identity do not
conform to society's expectations. Transgendered people identify and present themselves
in many different ways. In doing so, transgendered people push the boundaries of both sex
and gender.
Transgendered people are often assumed to be members of the homosexual community.
However, transgendered people may be any of the broad range of sexualities found in the
non-transgendered population.
The transgendered community is very diverse, yet most transgendered people have one
experience in common: that of transphobia. Transphobia is the fear, hatred, disgust and
discrimination of transgendered people because of their non-conforming gender status.
Transgendered people are united as a community in the struggle against transphobia, and
for the right to express their gender identity and shape their bodies in whatever way
makes sense to them.
This booklet will elaborate on these various themes, and will suggest ways in which
transphobia can be challenged in any context, including in the workplace, in school, in
health care, in social services and at home.
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WHAT IS GENDER?
Depending on the context in which it is used, the idea of gender is often confused with sex
and, less often, with sexual orientation. However, gender is a distinct category that
describes particular human characteristics. The most important thing about gender is that
its meaning is created by society: people are expected to behave and express themselves
in certain ways that are consistent with the socially pre-determined gender role associated
with their sex. Unfortunately, because of the intimate connection our society has made
between gender and sex, the important distinction between the two categories has been
blurred.
Gender must not be mistaken with sex. The category sex refers to our biological makeup,
and uses certain biological markers (such as our genitals or our chromosomal makeup) to
create the distinction between females and males. We are each pronounced at birth, upon
the doctor's glance at our genitals, to be a girl or a boy. What is really discovered about
each of us at that point is not our gender, per se, but simply our sex.
The operation of gender as a socializing force is obscured by the assumption that gender
is a natural function of sex. Gender, however, comprises two "sets" of social
characteristics, which combine to create the categories of "woman" (girl) and "man"
(boy).
The gender category woman (that is, the so-called "feminine" gender automatically
assigned to members of the female sex) carries with it certain expectations about how to
act, what to do, who to love and so on: Women are generally expected in mainstream
Canadian society to be more passive, submissive and dependent than men. Women are
often seen to be subjective, emotional beings, are usually associated with the private
sphere of life and tend to be the care-givers. Women are expected to love and marry a
man and to become mothers.
Likewise, the gender category man (that is, the so-called "masculine" gender
automatically assigned to members of the male sex) carries with it a very different set of
expectations about how to act, what to do and who to love: Men are assumed to be more
active and dominant than women, and are seen to be rational, objective individuals. Men
are more often associated with the public sphere of life, and are expected to be
dependable income earners. Men are expected to love and marry a woman and to become
fathers.
Of course these descriptions are generalized, and there is some overlap between them.
More and more women are recognized as active, participating members of the public
sphere, while men are increasingly assuming care-giving roles. However, there remains a
rigid division between the two categories. There are only, it is usually assumed, "women"
and "men" - and these are understood to be very different from each other. The two
gender categories are, in other words, also interdependent: the idea of "feminine"
behaviour says as much about how men are not supposed to act as it does about how
women are supposed to act.
Each of us is critically assessed with respect to our level of conformity to our genders:
gender conformity is mandatory in our society and most people participate in forcing that
conformity, in themselves and in others.
Gender is very much about how people perceive us, and our behaviour (personality,
identity and self-expression) determines how we will be "perceived." How we behave,
though, depends greatly on how we are influenced as we grow up, as well as on our
experiences as adults.
We are taught to be "good girls" and "good boys" meaning that we are, over time, taught
how we are meant to act as girls and as boys. In this way, gender is intimately connected
to social expectations, rather than to sex: we allow the knowledge of the sex of a child to
inform us which set of gender characteristics we are supposed to encourage in that child.
We tend to treat gender characteristics as natural - for example, the idea that "boys will
be boys" suggests that the particular behaviour referred to is to be expected from male
children. What it really means, however, is that that behaviour will be tolerated in a boy,
where it would likely not be tolerated in girls. The process of gender socialization is in this
way disguised as "natural."
But the essential fact is that our gender roles are taught to each of us, and are rigidly
enforced, through families and friends, educational institutions, the workplace, media,
advertising and the entertainment industry.
Because it is generally accepted that there are only two sexes, society has created a
two-gender model: which role we are taught to assume is arbitrarily tied to that first
pronouncement made by a doctor regarding our sex upon our birth. Thereafter, gross
deviations from our respective gender roles are not welcome.
Few people actually do conform exactly to their predetermined gender role: A certain lack
of conformity is not only expected, it is increasingly seen as welcome. However, there is a
certain line which we are not permitted to cross, keeping the two roles distinct.
Deviations which stray too far from the norm are met with discomfort. Some such
deviations result in the labels "tomboy" (as distinct from girl), "mama's boy" (as distinct
from boy), and "butch woman" and "effeminate man." These grey-area categories
themselves demonstrate the rigidity of gender norms: true "women" are not supposed to
be "butch," true "men" are not supposed to be "effeminate."
Transgendered people who fail to behave within the acceptable range of behaviours
expected of their gender roles are simply not tolerated in our society.
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WHAT DOES TRANSGENDER MEAN?
Transgendered people seek the freedom to express themselves and to present
themselves in a manner that is consistent with their own identity, rather than with the
gender identity imposed on them from birth.
Transgender is a term used by the community of people whose gender expression is
considered inappropriate for their sex. It is also increasingly used as an umbrella term to
include everyone who challenges the boundaries of sex and of gender. Anyone who
crosses the line of what is socially acceptable appearance and self-expression may be
included in the definition of transgender.
The following sub-groups are presented roughly according to the line that is crossed,
though they are not meant to understood as rigid or mutually exclusive categories:
biological: transsexuals, intersexuals, androgens
social: transgenderists, transvestites, drag kings and queens, cross-dressers,
gender-benders, women who pass as men, and men who pass as women
morphological (appearance): "masculine" looking women, "feminine" looking men,
bearded women, women bodybuilders (that is, women who have crossed the line of what is
considered socially acceptable for a female body)
Most transgendered people, however, cross more than one line. As well, there is a
significant psychological component to every transgendered person's experience as a
transgendered person. In other words, being transgender is as much about a person's
experience internally as it is about social perceptions, and for that reason transgendered
people are those who identify as such.
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DEFINITIONS OF COMMON SUB-GROUPS IN TRANSGENDERED COMMUNITIES
Transsexuals: Transsexual people internally experience a contradiction between their
identity and their anatomic sex, and usually shape themselves physically to create a more
healthy and harmonious balance between their bodies and their internal world.
Transsexuals may take hormones and may have surgery to change their physical
appearance. Hormones change the physical structure of the body, including secondary sex
characteristics like facial hair, skin tone and voice pitch. Surgery for a female to male
transsexual may include a mastectomy (removal of breasts), a hysterectomy (removal of
uterus), and ovariectomy (removal of ovaries). Female to male transsexuals may also
have a penis created through phalloplasty. Male to female transsexuals may have a
vagina created through vaginoplasty.
Transsexuals who have not had genital surgery are often referred to as pre-operative,
while those who have had genital surgery are often referred to as post-operative. In
recent years, transsexuals have challenged this division on the basis of surgery - the term
"transgender" is used, then, to unite people irrespective of their genital status. There are
also those who identify as transsexual, but who have no interest in genital surgery. These
people refer to themselves as non-operative transsexuals.
Intersexuals: Intersexual people have historically been referred to as hermaphrodites.
These are people whose biological make-up at birth is not exclusively male or female.
Because our society maintains that there are only two sexes, intersexed infants are
usually, if not always, subject to extreme medical - surgical and hormonal - intervention.
This involves the medical "assignment" of the infant as either male or female, on the
premise that in doing so they are reconstructing the child to conform to its "real" sex. The
trauma, shame, secrecy and isolation which accompanies this event effects intersexual
people throughout their lives.
Intersexuals exist on the biological continuum between the poles of male and female.
Between those poles there are many gradations, and intersexuals combine different
biological characteristics in different ways. Intersexuals struggle against our rigid two-sex
system, for the right to physical ambiguity and the acknowledgement that there are more
than two sexes. Intersexed babies have a right to grow up and make their own decisions
about the body they will live in for the rest of their lives.
Cross-dressers: People who wear the clothing and attire associated with the "opposite"
sex may do so full or part time. Cross-dressers choose when and where they will present
themselves in their chosen gender. Men who cross-dress as women sometimes refer to
themselves as transvestites, however many do not like the medical connotations of that
term, since the medical community has historically regarded transvestism as an illness.
Drag kings and queens are also cross-dressers, but these terms are usually reserved for
people who perform shows at lesbian and gay bars, and who themselves often identify as
lesbians or gay men.
Transgenderists: Transgenderists are individuals who do not identify with the gender
identity assigned to them at birth. Transgenderists may take hormones to bring their
appearance closer to their chosen gender expression, but often they make no attempt to
change their physical appearance. Transgenderists generally perceive their experience of
conflict between their sex and their gender to be the result, not of "being in the wrong
body," (as may be the case for transsexuals) but rather of society's expectation that they
assume a gender identity that is, for them, inappropriate.
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GENDER AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Transgender must not be confused with sexual orientation. Transgendered people may be
heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual. Sexual orientation refers to our desire: it is a term
which describes our emotional, psychological and sexual relationships with others.
Sexuality refers to how we experience our bodies sexually, and the different ways we
organize our lives based on our desires.
Gender refers to the complex characteristics which define us socially. The issues of
transgendered people are primarily those of gender, not of desire. While transgendered
people are not the same as lesbians and gay men, there is, of course, a range of
sexualities within transgender communities. Some female to male transsexuals, for
example, are attracted to women, but do not identify as heterosexual. Others are
attracted to men and identify as gay men. Some male to female transsexuals are sexually
attracted to other women, and identify themselves as lesbians. Other transsexuals do
identify as heterosexual, while still others use no label to describe their sexual orientation.
The relationship between gender and sexual orientation gets even more complex in
relation to the numerous transgendered people who are not transsexual. Because of the
obvious limitations of our language and terminology around sexual orientation, especially
when combined with gender, many people are increasingly embracing the term "queer" to
embody the broad range of people who are not 100% heterosexual. However, it is
significant that many transsexual people, whether straight or queer, face discrimination
within lesbian and gay communities.
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TRANSPHOBIA
In the collective opinion of mainstream society, transgendered people cross too many
gender boundaries and as a result experience gender-based discrimination, or
transphobia.
Because of the unyielding dominance of our society's rigidly constructed two-gender
model, members of the transgendered community have many negative experiences in
common: Transgendered people often live in fear for their safety, may or may not
experience personal torment resulting from having internalized phobic messages, and are
isolated from much of society because of feelings of "lack of place."
Transphobia is at its most basic the fear of a transgendered person and the hatred,
discrimination, intolerance, and prejudice that this fear brings. Transphobia is manifested
as harassment, threatened safety, disgust, ridicule, restrictions on freedom of movement,
restrictions on access to resources (housing, employment, services etc), and violence to
name a few.
Our society is not kind to those who are visibly transgendered. Many are rejected by their
own families and friends. Most face social isolation, and are discriminated against in
employment, health care, social services and housing. Many transgendered persons live
high-risk lifestyles, much of it due to the negative social pressure they have experienced
throughout their lives. Statistics gathered thus far by the High Risk Project Society
suggest that as many as 20% of the (known) transgendered community are involved in
high-risk activity in Vancouver, such as the sex trade and substance abuse.
These experiences are visited upon transgendered people because transgendered people
threaten the social construction of gender. Society marginalizes transgendered people,
whether they push the mainstream boundaries of sex, of social behaviour or of
appearance. Negative social, political and economic sanctions readily reinforce the
boundaries of gender that mainstream society considers acceptable.
Transphobia takes countless forms. Transphobia may be expressed consciously or
sub-consciously. Some examples include:
-the belief that a person is not a "real woman" or a "real man" if s/he is transgendered;
-the assumption that transgendered people are "sick" or incompetent or that they are
psychologically unstable;
-the unwillingness to trust a transgendered person, because of that person's
transgendered status;
-feelings of discomfort or disgust which prevent someone from dealing with a
transgendered person as they would any other person - for example, a medical
professional who is unwilling to locate resources relevant to their transgendered clients,
and who, for lack of knowledge, are therefore unable to refer transgendered people to
those much needed resources;
-when someone is unaware that s/he is dealing with a transgendered person, or doesn't
bother to enquire when s/he suspects that the person with whom s/he is dealing is
transgendered;
-when someone is aware of the transgendered status of the person with whom s/he is
dealing, but continues to refer to the person in a way that is inconsistent with that person's
presentation;
-when someone fails to rent an apartment, or to give a job or a promotion, or to provide a
service to a transgendered person because of that person's transgendered status;
-when a transgendered person is excluded from activities, discussions or decisions
because it is felt that that person doesn't "fit in."
Actions against transphobia include:
-increasing awareness of the issues of transgendered people while taking steps to affirm
the identity of transgendered people;
-being willing and available to provide support, care and counsel as appropriate;
-being comfortable and inclusive around transgendered people;
-exploring the connections between transphobia, racism, homophobia and sexism.
-in education, health and employment:
-making resources available to transgendered people and others on issues related to
transgenderism;
-adopting a zero tolerance policy regarding transphobia that treats transphobia as
seriously as racism or sexism
-inviting a transgender community organization to work against transphobia with staff and
others, and speaking with transgendered persons about gender identity and sexual
orientation;
-consciously addressing the myths and stereotypes about the transgender community, and
not ignoring inappropriate jokes
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CONCLUSION
Gender is a complex social phenomenon. Although this booklet has maintained that
gender is a social creation taught to us from birth on the basis of our sex, gender is also
about self-expression. Gender, in other words, is also the personal creation of each and
every one of us. Most people choose their means of gender expression from a
predetermined set provided by society. Transgendered people identify in ways that do not
correspond to some or all of that bundle of acceptable behaviours encouraged in them
since birth. In this way, gender can be seen to be the product of the complex interaction
between the individual and society.
Hopefully we will learn to celebrate the diversity of gender and the issues of
transgendered people will become less acute. Meanwhile, this pamphlet is intended to
address the very real and painful fact of transphobia in our society. It is clear that there is
much to be done in order to remove the barriers that transgendered people face everyday,
in order that they might express themselves, live and flourish in the absence of fear and
gender-based discrimination.
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HIGH RISK
Mission Statement:
High Risk Project Society is dedicated to improving the quality of life of transgendered
street engaged people, with a special focus on HIV/AIDS issues. High Risk Project seeks
to empower individuals through peer support and the provision of services to meet
primary needs. We will advocate on behalf of the community to affect public and private
policy, ensuring adequate access to health care, speaking on behalf of the most
disadvantaged, promoting pub,ic awareness by education, sensitivity training and
publishing, that the transgendered both individually and collectively may assume their
rightful place as respected members of society.
HIGH RISK PROJECT SOCIETY 449EAST HASTINGS STREET, VANCOUVER B.C., V6A 1P5 Tel;(604)255-6143 - fax;(604)255-0147 - email; hrp@direct.ca
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