Social and Legal Problems Facing Transgender People - Research Paper Example

TRANSGENDER Introduction A transgender is a person who doesn’t fit in the society in terms of how the personis expected to act according to their sexual orientation. These are people who are not comfortable with their sex at birth. They do not feel comfortable with their physical gender at birth. Gender is that conviction that one is either male or female. One may be born as male but later in life realizes that it is not what they feel inside. These are people with deferent identities. They can be said as having gender identity disorder. They are sometimes referred to as bisexual or as being gay. Transgender can also mean those individuals who do not want to be identified with either gender. They are not in agreement with the strict definition of gender by the society. Social and legal problems facing transgender people Due to the increase in the transgender community, there has been a development of various social and legal issues. The society finds it hard to accept transgender individuals. This has lead to transgender people facing hate crimes from those who do not accept their beliefs and choices. Most states have not developed hate crime laws related to gender identity. It has been estimated that one transgender is killed in the united state per month as a result of hate crime. Transgender people also face sexual discrimination in their day to day activities. This is because many people in the society have not accepted them. As a result, employees and housing agents tend to shy away from them. Most states have laws that ban discrimination based on ones sexual orientation. However, few have laws banning discrimination based on gender identity. In some states in the United States do not have laws that cover couples of the same sex. This is a delicate issue among the transgender community where couples of the same sex, also known as gays are a subset of this community. This are couples of the same sex. They miss out on the privileges of being in a marriage. These privileges include: the right to inherit the partner’s property, the right to enjoy tax deductions related to properties and income and the right to share property after divorce (Currah et al. 15). In several states in the United States there is a restriction in the foster care and adaption sector. There are restrictions on who can adapt children. In most cases, adoption is not allowed to couples of the same sex marriage. There is also a ban in several states on adoption of children by couples of the same sex. Couples experience discrimination from the adoption agencies based on the religious or the moral background. Problems experienced by a transgender individual A person who is a transgender faces a number of problems at a personal which needs to be addressed. People who have gender identity disorder and who do not seek any help often end up getting psychological effect. The disorder leads to unhappiness and depression because there is that feeling of not belonging in the society. This is because the society is yet to fully accept transgender in the society. In most cases, these individuals are rejected by their families, friends and even the church for what they believe. This is because transgender is seen it as being against the religion, especially by the church (Valentine and David 35). This can make some of them opt to commit suicide. Due to the fact that transgender have different identities, this may lead to anti-social disorders. This is because of the fear of participating in activities like sports because of fear of not being accepted by the society. This is because they are seen as not acting according to how the society expects them to act. Some laws also restrict transgender from participating in social activities. For example, when participating in sports, the law expects that individuals with male physical structures must use male’s rooms and vice versa. Societal Acceptance of transgender The society at large has an obligation to accept the transgender in the society and treat them as being part of the society. Acceptance can be done through advocating for the rights of the transgender group. They should not face hate crimes because of what they believe in. The society can also accept transgender constitutions to be developed and implemented in institutions like colleges and universities. This will help in reducing the anti-social behaviors experienced by transgender for feeling out of place. The constitutions will help them feel like as being part of the institution. This in turn makes them feel comfortable in the institutions. It will also help them blend in the society. The society can take that responsibility to protect the transgender group. They should be treated like any other normal person in the society. One way in which the society can protect this community is by defending them. When people talk against the transgender in an offensive way, one can opt to defend them. Also in cases where transgender face hate crime, one can defend them or report the incident. The society can also offer this community audience when they need to talk to someone. Shunning away from them makes them feel discriminated and makes them fear socializing. This in turn encourages the anti-social behavior. The society can show their acceptance to this community and help them advocate for their rights by joining some of the transgender advocacy groups. This will help those who are ignorant in this issue be able to understand and appreciate transgender in the community. Government Responsibility The government has an obligation to ensure that every individual in the society feels safe. They have an obligation to ensure that every individual’s rights as a human being are respected. With this regarded the government has the obligation to put up strong laws on hate crimes against the transgender community. People charged for hate crimes should be given hard punishment so as to serve as examples to other people. This will ensure that the transgender society feels safe like any other normal person in the society. The government also has the responsibility of enforcing strong laws which will ensure that the transgender community is not discriminated from the society. There should be strong employment laws that will ensure that they are not discriminated in all sectors of the employment. In the United States, the relationship and marriage recognition law is made at a state level. It is the responsibility of each state to ensure that this law also includes transgender. This will ensure that the community gets special rights and privileges of being in a marriage like any other normal person in the society (Harcourt and Jay 43). States have the responsibility of ensure that every individual is treated equally; this includes having the right to adoption. The law should therefore ensure that there are no restrictions in the foster care and adaption sector. Transgender should be allowed to adapt and there should not be a ban on adoption by the same sex couples based on the religious or the moral background. Transgender Organization There are various organizations that have come up to fight for the rights of the transgender community in light of the problems which they face in their day to day activities. They also aim at enlightening the society about the transgender community. They work towards ending discrimination towards the transgender community. They also work toward creating a society that accepts that humans are the same despite their differences. One of the major transgender organizations in the United States is the NTAC which fights for the rights of transgender in the society. This organization also tries to enlighten the society about transgender. They hold events, the most important one being the Transgender day of remembrance. This day is held so as to recognize those who have died for being transgender. This can be either by being murdered or by committing suicide because of depression. This is on the only group that fights for the rights of transgender people in the United States. A group like Transgender at work aims at providing issues faced by transgender in workplaces like discrimination. This group helps employers set constitutions that will consider the transgender group. The Survivor Protect is another group that non-profit and which mainly works towards helping transgender individuals who have been victims of hate crimes. This organization offers awareness through educational programs, consultations and other methods. They aim at empowering survivors. The international Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) group aims at providing awareness on all gender identities. They cover transgender, intersect and straight. The transgender Law and policy Institute in another organization that helps in providing legal advice that relate to discrimination, employment and hate crime to transgender people. This group also refers transgender to attorneys who are specializing in defending this group. Apart from organizations, there are groups that have come up with online services providing many aspects pertaining to transgender. They help transgender individuals to be informed on their rights and connect with there transgender individuals. Such service is the American Education Gender Information Service. Conclusion In conclusion this community should be accepted and respected. The society needs to accept the community as they are like any other normal people in the society. Laws should be put in place to protect the rights of the community. Every state should have laws that protect their rights. This is in terms of the marriage rights, the adoption right, laws against hate crime and discrimination. Transgender individuals also need to know and understand their rights and need to know the various Transgender groups around them. This is because as a fact, it may take time for the society to accept this community. Therefore, it is important for the transgender individuals to know how to protect their rights through these groups. Work Cited Valentine, David. Imagining Transgender. An Ethnography of a Category. Durham: Duke University Press, 2007. Print. Currah, et al. Transgender Rights. Minneapolis, Minn. University of Minnesota Press, 2006. Print. Harcourt, Jay. Current Issues in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health. Binghamton, N.Y. Harrington Park, 2006. Print. The Transgender Center. NTAC. 2012. NTAC Org, 25 Nov 2012 http://www.ntac.org/transgender-basics American Psychological Association. 2012. American Psychological Association. 25 Nov 2012 http://www.apa.org/topics/sexuality/transgender.aspx Read More