Transphobia

Prior to conceptualizing a definitive definition of the term, Transphobia itself, deconstructing the semantics of the word may facilitate in its comprehension. The word contains two components: trans, referring to transgender people, the object of victimization; and phobia, the irrational or extreme fear of or aversion to something.

Transgender

A transgender person is someone whose gender identity and/or expression is different from the social expectations of the sex that they were assigned at birth. Transgender describes non-cisgender people who identify as a binary gender (trans men and trans women), people who identify/express their gender outside of the male/female binary (genderqueer, agender, etc.), people with fluid gender identities, and many more.

Transgender is commonly mistaken, or misinterpreted, with transsexual, which describes individuals who consider their assigned sex at birth to be an inaccurate reflection of their gender identity and often desire to realign one's own body with the gender they associate with best. Typically, the methodologies utilized to alter one's body include hormonal therapy or gender reassignment/confirmation surgeries Correspondingly, while the abovementioned holds true, "transgender" is an umbrella term that compartamentalizes a diverse subset of social identities, including transsexuals, crossdressers, drag queens and kings, genderqueens, and others who cross or transgress traditional gender categories. They deviate from the standard binary perception of socially constructed categories of sex and gender

Transphobia

Transphobia is the, "fear or hatred of transgender people; transphobia is manifested in a number of ways, including violence, harassment and discrimination"

Forms of Violence

Violence manifests in various forms. Peace scholar Johan Galtung formulates a concise, definitive binary outlining the key types of violence: structural violence and direct violence.The Four Distinctions distinguish between physical and psychological, negative and positive, whether or not there is an object that is hurt, and whether or not there is a subject that acts. Put shortly, violence ascribes to a multi-dimensional framework.

• Structural Violence - "the avoidable disparity between the potential ability to fulfill basic needs and their actual fulfillment... that structural causes are responsible for constrained agency .."
• Direct Violence - physical violence that can be perceived

In addition to Galtung's list, and for the purpose of this Wiki, is the inclusion of the subcategory of Sexual Violence that cannot be omitted

• Sexual Violence - physically coercing someone into submitting into unwilling sexual behaviour. One in every two transgender people has been sexually victimized. Often times this has occurred more than once.

The below distinctions refers to the subject from which the antagonism originates from when identities are confronted.

"The Other" Perpetrator

This category refers to the interpersonal conflict that arises between individuals. In other words, when two separate persons clash due to misaligned perspectives on gender identity. Between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011, there was a total of 816 reported murders of trans people, drawn from data from 55 countries. The highest numbert of report incidents were in Central and South America, accounting for about 80% of the total number. Within the United States, 19 percent of transgender people report being refused medical care, while 2 percent have been violently assaulted in a doctor's office. These examples illustrate structural and direct violence, respectively.

"The Self" Perpetrator

This category refers to the personal conflict invoked within an individual. When exposed to certain levels of oppressive behavior, an individual may begin to conduct their behaviour in a self-destructive manner, ultimately leading to suicide. Nearly 41 percent of the total transgender population in the United States has attempted to commit suicide at one point or another.

Suicide Attempts Among Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Adults:Findings of the National Transgender Survey

Portrayals in the Media

There are many instances when notable individuals in the media posited a prejudiced stance against this subclass of identity. Typically, the rhetoric centers around mockery, misinformation, and fear-mongering. These commonheld inaccuracies perpetuate into broader society, instilling a malformed perception of transgender culture. This negative portrayal is endemic and translates into real life suffering for those who encounter such stereotypes.

• Dr. Kate Stone v Daily Mirror, a case presented before the UK Press Complaints Commission stating the inappropriate disclosure of Kate Stone's name and transgender status. It was ruled that these details of the publication unjustly infringed upon Dr. Stone's privacy and did not possess her consent of use.

• While hosting the Oscars, Ellen Degeneres said "Hello to the best Liza Minelli impersonator I've seen. Good job, sir" directly to the actress herself. Albeit, not intended maliciously, the comment was tinged with transphobia, and the victim acknowledged her counterparts misstep.

• Fox News, the right-wing American television corporation, notoriously slanders the transgender community. Engaging in such behaviour in the past against gays and lesbians, the lack of information on this segment of society contributes to the overarching, tacit acceptance of this slander. Media Matters for America ardently voices its discontent with the journalistic practices of Fox News, particularly incensed by the misinformative implications of such behaviour.

• The popular film Silence of the Lambs villifies, delegitimizes, and disenfranchizes transgender individuals through its portrayal of the deranged serial killer James Grub - otherwise known as Buffalo Bill.

Representation of Trans Women in the Media

A trans woman is a transgender person who was assigned a male gender at birth but identifies as a woman. In order to express their suitable gender, a trans woman may transition from the gender they were given at birth. Transition refers to the process of embracing a social and personal identity that corresponds to one's own sense of the gendered self. This may or not not include medical intervention (hormone treatments, surgery, etc.), changes in legal documents (name, sex on identification, etc.), and personal expression (clothing, makeup, voice, body language).

Trans women are being increasingly depicted in both offline (television, movies, etc.) and emerging online media (social media platforms, websites, blogs, etc.). These varying representations inform the general public about the existence of transgender communities and have a significant impact on young peoples’ identity development and lived experiences. However, despite increasing awareness of this representation, a lack of research persists on the perspectives of trans women and the LGBTQ women regarding their depictions in contemporary media.

Trans people make up an estimated .5 percent of the U.S. population, but this smaller percentage means their representation in media is more important, not less, transgender activists say. “There’s a higher stake, because often, the only time an ally or cisgender person will have interaction with a trans person in life will be through the television, will be through a magazine article, will be through an Internet clip that goes viral,” says Janet Mock, a transgender activist, author and a former editor of People.com. A Public Religion Research Institute survey found that only 9 percent of Americans have a close friend or family member who is transgender.

In light of these many issues, International Transgender Day Of Visibility was founded in 2009, a day in which trans, intersex and non-binary people take over social media in celebration of their identities, by sharing stories, and posting supportive resources. The holiday was founded by Rachel Crandall, a transgender activist from Michigan who continues to express her frustrations that the only well known transgender centred holiday was Transgender Day of Remembrance. This day mourns the loss of transgender people from hate crimes, but does not take into account nor does it celebrate the living members of the transgender community. In 2015, many transgender individuals participated in an online social media campaign on websites including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. They raised awareness and increased visibility of their community by posting selfies, personal stories and statistics that surround transgender issues.

Online Influencers

Youtube, a booming social media website, continues to provide the platform for anyone to post videos for a global audience since 2005. Many transgender women have stepped into the spotlight and have brought attention to trans issues and addressed transphobia.

Gigi Loren Lazzarato, or better known as Gigi Gorgeous, is a Canadian internet personality and an LGBTQ activist. She is noted for publicly coming out as a transgender woman, and updating her Youtube audience during her transition from male to female. Lazzarato came out to her viewers as a transgender woman in late 2013, and shared her experiences with her tracheal shave, hormone replacement therapy, facial feminization surgery, and breast augmentation. To date, she has gained nearly 2 million subscribers with over 200 million views and continues to speak on issues that surround the transgender community.

This type of representation in the media combats transphobia in a way that teaches the audience that transgender women are not as foreign and different than any of the other celebrities and content creators. Many people have phobias because they were raised to think a certain way, lack of knowledge of the topic or because of personal experiences. The more educated people become, the more they will find that transgender people are just like everyone else, deserving of respect. These influencers reach an international audience and raise awareness by sharing their experiences and opening up about their transitions. With more stories being shared and more exposure each story receives, the unjust prejudice held against them is slowly opening people up to face their transphobia.

Symptoms of Transphobia and Arguments Against It

- Inability to believe a transgender person is actually a “real” woman or man

    - But the essential fact is that our gender roles are taught to each of us, and are rigidly enforced, through families, friends, educational institutions, media, advertising and the entertainment industry. Each of us is critically assessed with respect to our level of conformity to our genders: most people participate in forcing gender conformity, in themselves and in others. Being merely a social construct, a person may identify with the gender that they feel is appropriate for themselves.

- Assuming that transgender people are mentally ill, deranged or it's purely their choice

    - The 2008 discovery by Australian researchers of a genetic variation in transgender women stated their receptor gene for the sex hormone testosterone was longer, making it less efficient at communicating signals. As a result, there may be a insufficient uptake of male hormones in utero contributed to a "more feminized brain." The brains of trans people also proved to look different. Recent Spanish imaging studies have shown that the white matter of untreated trans men look much like those of biological males, and that the patterns of trans women's white matter fell about halfway between those of biological male and female control groups.

- Feelings of discomfort and inability to trust or connect with someone based on their transgender status - Avoiding referring to a transgender person as the gender they feel they are, instead only referring to them as they were born - Failing to provide service, employment, medical care or housing to a transgender person - Consciously or purposely putting down or harassing a transgender person verbally or physically

Lourdes Ashley Hunter

"I am a black, trans revolutionary. I am a healer, orator, academic and educator, a dismantler of oppressive systems, a descendant of enslaved Africans, freedom fighters and liberators. I am a queen, goddess and sister. My life is fueled by a transformative movement that rejects the “equality meme” championed by mainstream LGBT NGOs and NPOs, as it mimics assimilation. Our collective fight for revolution, liberation, legacy, TPOC-interdependent, sustainable socioeconomic growth and development gets me up in the morning."

Lourdes Ashley Hunter is an activist and a leader of the Trans Women of Colour Collective (TWOCC) that strives to push for legislative reform to secure equality for marginalized communities, particularly transgender and queer communities. She is also the Director of the Healing and Restoration Ministry at Rivers at Rehoboth Church in New York City. Her vehement efforts have enabled the reform of government agencies - such as the NY Police Department or NYC Department of Homeless Services - to be inclusive of transgender and queer residents in their policy considerations and enacments.

Educational Background

Lourdes earned a Bachelor degree in Social Theory, Structure and Change with concentrations in Race, Class and Gender Studies from SUNY: Empire State College.

Her research focus: “How psychological abuse and the lack of familial and social support impacts the socio-economic growth and development of trans and gender non-conforming people of color” and “Redefining Black Masculinity”

She then earned an Executive Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University. Her MPA Focus: Leadership and Diversity, Economic Issues in Public Administration, Strategic Planning, Performance Measurement, Analytical Methods, Human Resources Administration, and Administrative Ethics.

Research focus: “How have social justice movements led for and by trans* and gender non-conforming people of color (tgncpoc) shifted toward culturally competent framework and best practices that address systemic oppression and discrimination as well as support, empower and uplift tgncpoc to live unapologetically in their truth.”

An Ode to Victims of Transphobic Violence

“Everyone pretends to be 'free thinkers', but few individuals pass the line into expressive territories that may be detrimental to their own social well-being.”

For the many that we do know, and those we do not, who are subjugated to persecution of this sort and die for their beliefs. They will live on forever as heroes and revolutionaries of their time. We pay respect to them for their efforts, outspoken or not. By the mere acts of accepting themselves regardless of what societal norms dictate, they embodied the true spirit of revolution.

This list of names does not include how these individuals died out of respect for them. What matters here is the reason that they died: for expressing diversity that others could not accept, let alone tolerate.

Brandon Teena. 31 December 1993

Rita Hester. 28 November 1998

Nireah Johnson. 23 July 2003

Angie Zapata. 17 July 2008

Ty Underwood. 26 January 2015

Sumaya Ysl. 22 February 2015

Rest In Peace (and Diversity).

See also

• Cisgender
• Terminology
• Transgender
• Transphobia and public restrooms
• Transgender Law Center
• Transmisogyny