Globalization and the Transgendered: Positive and Negative Experiences of Transgendered Youth - Research Paper Example

? GLOBALIZATION AND THE TRANSGENDERED: POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES OF TRANSGENDERED YOUTH IN SCHOOLS December 10, Introduction In gender studies, globalization has been criticized as either promoting or questioning (or both) heteronormativity. Heteronormativity pertains to the operation of heterosexuality as the social norm (Harding 2011, 40). Farr (2007) explored the role of globalization in shaping the meaning of sexuality, gender, and sex under heteronormative and masculine narratives (610). She called for greater use of “continua and multiples” in studying sexuality and gender, instead of relying in “binaries” when discussing globalization and sexuality (Farr 2007, 612). The transgendered are embedded in these diverse, conflicting narratives. Transgender is an umbrella term that includes different subgroups, such as transsexuals, cross-dresses, and gender-queers (people who do not identify with a specific gender) (Califia 2006, 152; Sorrells 2013, 53; Valentine 2007, 32). Transsexuals can refer to people who have undergone sex change or plan to have their birth gender changed. Heteronormative societies reject transgenders because they question the binaries of femininity and masculinity (Farr 2007, 612). They resist gender identities that do not neatly fit the two “acceptable” gender categories of male and female (Farr 2007, 612). Transgender people can have different experiences according to their ages, cultures, social classes, and races/ethnicities. Their demographics can affect how they are seen and consumed by the public, and how they also interact with the public in different ways. This paper focuses on transgendered youth and how globalization shapes their lives. To be more specific, this paper emphasizes on the impact of the social media on transgendered youth. The main question is: What are the positive and negative effects of the social media in their lives? In order to describe and analyze transgendered experiences within the post-modernist sexuality framework, the standpoint of transgender youth and application of three dominant approaches to transgendered identities- Social Constructionism, Transgender Theorizing, and Queer Theory- are used for the paper. To support the claims of the paper, interviews with Cassidy Campbell and other students from the news, books, and journals were used, as well as a personal interview with a transgendered youth. Because of globalization, transgender teenagers experience increased support in their community through social networks, but the same social networks can also be causes of negative experiences because of comments from people who do not accept and/or hate transgender. Causes of Transgendered Identity Before the paper proceeds to globalization and transgendered identities, the causes of being transgender are explored first. These causes are important because it will help people know why transgendered people choose certain gender identities. Injury of the genitals can lead to transgendered identity. These injuries can be by birth or because of accidents. Accidents can mutilate the genitals that make the person unrecognizable as a female or male biologically. Either way, the affected person believes in his/her free will to choose his/her own gender identity from there on (National Center for Transgender Equality 2009, 1). Another cause of being transgendered is having defects by birth. Biological differences can lead to someone being an intersex. Intersex is a variation in sex characteristics that include genitals and chromosome issues, which make it hard for a person to be strictly biologically identified as male or female (Valentine 2007, 135). A parent or the parents often decide the gender of their child, after knowing the intersex condition. The final cause of being a transgender is by choice. Choosing a transgender identity has a psychological aspect of being aware of one’s gender identity as something innate to them, instead of something physical to them (National Center for Transgender Equality 2009, 1). It is similar to feeling female or male or differently sexed as if by memory or emotion or something else (National Center for Transgender Equality 2009, 1). Whatever the causes of transgendered assertions may be, transgenders often resist being boxed in any gender or sexuality definition. Cheryl Chase wrote in 1998 that, her genital, which the medical community saw as “ambiguous,” was not ambiguous, but just what it was (Valentine 2007, 135). The definition of “ambiguity” came from binary gender and sexed bodies of Western heteronormative ideology (Valentine 2007, 135). These ambiguities are better explored in the later sections of this paper. The causes of transgendered identity are varied and the direction of one’s gender can soon take varying perspectives. How Globalization Affects the Transsexual After determining the causes of being transgender, the next step is defining globalization. Defining it provides the extent and boundaries of the paper’s analysis. Globalization does not have any clear-cut definition. Lechner (2009) argued that even calling it globalizations is not enough to underscore its diverse patterns (1). The paper prefers to use globalization in its singular term for simplification purposes. Lechner (2009) defined globalization as “the growth of ties that span space” (1). His definition aims to affirm the spreading or diffusing of information, capital, and knowledge across the world, as well as greater interdependence among people and greater awareness of commonalities (Lechner 2009, 1). In addition, Lechner (2009) asserted that globalization is still in the making, “still incomplete, still in process” (2). New ways of social organization are intertwining or changing old social organizations (Lechner 2009, 2). Lechner’s definition has the strengths of understanding the ongoing process of globalization and realization of its diverse patterns and dynamics. However, it is unclear how it affects gender and sexuality in a meaningful way, unless further connected to the ties that bind different sexualities across space. Sorrells (2013) offered a definition of globalization that includes its economic, political, and cultural dimensions (33). Economic globalization pertains to the growth of multinational corporations, intensification of trade and commerce, and greater international interconnection of production, distribution, and consumption (Sorrells 2013, 33). Political globalization pertains to greater political interconnectedness through the creation of international organizations of global governance, and formation of global movements of resistance against social, economic, and political inequalities (Sorrells 2013, 38). Cultural globalization refers to migration, creation of cultural connectedness, cultural flows across unequal relations, and “emergence of hybrid cultural forms and identities” (Sorrells 2013, 42). These multidimensional approaches to defining globalization underline the diverse forces that shape and reinforce globalization, which, in turn, they also shape and reinforce. The dialectical connections among these forces emphasize the “becoming” process of globalization, a “becoming” that can underline the fluidity of sexuality and gender identities too. Social Media and the Transgendered Globalization includes the expansion of space through technology. Social media is one of the products, arguably also the shaper, of globalization. Social media includes mobile and Internet technologies and tools that provide interactive communication patterns. Social identities are made and negotiated through communication processes that happen in a person’s social network and community (Green-Hamann and Serblom 2013, 185). The community’s values validate, corroborate, or oppose that person’s identity (Green-Hamann and Serblom 2013, 185). Social media dissolves the boundaries between real and virtual lives, shaping how an individual’s online identity and community participation shapes the real-life identity (Green-Hamann and Serblom 2013, 185). Social media can affect the transgendered by offering tools that help them learn more about their identities, in form of research, as well as in finding commonalities with others for purpose of finding friends and/or intimate partners (Salter 2011; Shapiro 2004; Siebler 2012). Some of the tools are for social networks, where several functions are finding friends, finding people of the same interests, and finding fellow transgendered. Friendships or acquaintances are formed from there. Still, social media can result to problems, such as bullying and sexual harassment. As many social network profiles are public, they are more open to daily and repeated bullying. Social media can then expand, deepen, or problematize the world of the transgendered through publicizing a personal aspect of their identities, opening them to ridicule or acceptance, if not tolerance and acknowledgement of their existence. Schools and Transgendered Youth Children spend more time in schools than they do at home, and so schools have a large role in shaping their experiences, including their identities. The transgendered youth have different experiences of globalization in schools through social media that filters and shapes these experiences. They can experience different forms of discrimination in school that can last into the virtual world. Or the virtual world can also offer respite and a form of support from the crueler real world. This part summarizes some of the effects of social media on transgendered youth (including transsexuals). Positive Experiences Because of Social Media Acceptance and respect in social networks. Because of social media that creates and disseminates transgender culture as cosmopolitan and modern, some transgender are finding acceptance and respect in social networks (Salter 2011; Shapiro 2004; Siebler 2012). In an e-mail interview with Jonathan “Lexie” Jefferson, 17 years old, last December 1, 2013, he revealed his own experiences with social media (See Appendix A). For him, the positive experiences are the following: “Social media has many positive effects for me, like finding people like me, networking, finding acceptance, love and respect, not just tolerance…” His experience underlines that through social media, he can find people like him, so they would no longer judge him. Instead, these are friends who accept him and respect him for who he is, however hard to define that “being” may be. He said it himself that he does not like being defined. He likes being transgender precisely because it is mixed up and always moving: “I like who I am, like somewhere in between. Not male or female, but mostly female for now. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I want to be a tomboy for a change.” Like other transgender, Lexie does not want to be one gender, but floating along genders. In social media, he finds people who will like him for whatever his gender is and is not. Social media provides an avenue for him to find acceptance and respect for his gender identity. Acceptance or tolerance in offline communities. Social media can diffuse acceptance online for transgenders offline too, although at varying extents. In real life, gender-variant children experience harassment, physical assault, and sexual violence (Riley et al. 2011, 61). Social media has reduced these experiences for Lexie, because for her, some people at least accept her now for who she is. She said in the e-mail: “Also, some people are kinder now. It is like they know through the media that there are transgender people and they are not immoral or dirty.” For her, social media is a tool for tolerance: “[Some people] accept us or at least tolerate us as people too, as human beings, only different. It’s a good thing. Tolerance is better than nothing.” Social media that provides information about transgender and promote acceptance and acknowledgement can reduce paranoia and resentment against transgenders. If people learn more about transgendered people, they will be less likely to form harmful schemas or stereotypes about them. Promotion of the cause of the transgendered youth. Salter (2011) talked about the use of social media as a political tool (19). Social media can be used to carry a cause, such as the cause of the transgendered in helping people understand who they are, so that they can stop making assumptions and unfair judgment. Lexie underscored the importance of being political in the social media too: “Social media can do more, like helping us express ourselves so that people will know more about us, to get to know as human beings, until they accept us as human beings too.” He does not say it outright but he is talking about having political power to have the freedom to be known and to be heard by society as people who matter too. Social media can be used as a political tool for transgenders to express their rights and freedoms that are not acknowledged and respected. Negative Experiences Because of Social Media Bullying. Social media can be used in negative ways too, and one of them is bullying. Cyberbullying is becoming more prevalent because of the youth’s frequent use of social media for their different academic and social purposes. When Cassidy Lynn Campbell was crowned homecoming queen at a California high school, she was happy, as well as her family (Sieczkowski 2013). However, she also reacted to the bullies online. She uploaded a weeping video to her YouTube account saying that people were "ignorant" and "stupid" about her crowning. She said: “After 16 years of struggling, I finally do it and I finally am myself -- thinking I'll be so happy” (Sieczkowski 2013). She added: It's just sad that everyone has to be so judgmental about it, and so hateful, and so mean and so negative. I've never done anything to any of these people. And I don't know why they have to be this way, when I've done nothing to them. It just hurts so bad because I feel just as much of a girl as all of them do... Everyone is just so ignorant” (Sieczkowski 2013). She has experienced bullies online who demean her achievement and identity. Lexie experienced online bullying too: “Negative effects are there too, like people bullying online and those who are against it are also using it to send bad messages and stereotypes about us.” These bullies use social media to perpetuate gender stereotypes and to reject transgenders as legitimate gender identities. Bullying can be a way of maintaining heteronormative narratives by negating the existence of other gender narratives online. Sexual harassment. Sexual harassment can be done online through sending sexually implicit or explicit messages. Lexie remarked: “Also, I have been sexually harassed in my social networks, by mean people sending me sexual messages that just want to hurt me.” These sexual messages sexualize transgendered people too to make them feel less than human beings. It is also a form of heteronormative power, where the masculine controls the feminine and the others who strive to be feminine. Stigmatization. Stigmatization can come from sending messages that alienate and demean transgender people. Lexis said: “I’ve also felt alienated because of stigma, like being transgender is a disease and a sin. There are online messages that make me feel like a whore and demon.” She talked about the church that renounced her and how she felt so alone after it: “There’s not so many transgender in our town. They do not approve of me. They think I’m ‘dirty’ and ‘immoral.’” She stressed that she has come to terms that she cannot expect everyone to like her, but at times, the stigmatization can have a depressing effect. Stigmatization can have a grueling effect on the psyche of the transgenders, especially the youth who are forming their identities. Analysis of Transgendered Youth’s Experiences For analysis, several dominant modes of gender and sexuality theories are used. They are social constructionism, transgender theorizing, and queer theory. Social Constructionism Social constructionism believes in the social construction of identity (Beasley 2006, 142). Beasley (2006) talked about the Americanization of gay identity through media, specifically social media. He added that social class and race mediate gender identity formation and experiences. He stressed that identity is basis for politics (Beasley 2006, 136). Power is oppressive (Beasley 2006, 136), while social class and gay desires can intersect to result to diverse gender identities and experiences (Farr 2007, 614), Oppression in real life, offline and online, are exemplifications of power structures that surround gender. In the case of Lexie, being part of the middle class and the minority can provide conflicting opportunities and threats. As part of the middle-class, he has the resources to express himself without being curtailed by economic limitations. One can only imagine how the poor is treated when one is part of the transgendered and a minority. Multiple layers of discrimination can create a difficult life for him/her. As a minority, however, Lexie has a historical marginalized status. As a queer, he is further marginalized because of his non-conformist approach to sexuality. He defies the heterosexual narrative and questions social gender norms and codes. Social media can help him contest the gender norms and structures of his times, but he will have a hard time doing this individually, until heteronormative social infrastructures are changed into those that accept gender fluidity. Transgender theorizing Transgender theorizing is another transgendered theory which states that gender is the refusal of gender categories (Califia 2006, 153). It understands that there is stigma in being different that can be felt in discrimination in public institutions. Nevertheless, the theories call for the full embrace of ambiguous positionings (Califia 2006, 153). Furthermore, it analyzes the violent experiences of transgendered youth. These violent actions can lead to repressed identities and mental issues (Budge et al., 2013). Emotional problems can also arise from disjointed gender identities that have not come to terms of self-acceptance (Budge et al., 2013). Transgender theorizing makes sense of Lexie’s fluid gender. His ability to know that he is not known in gender means that he rejects gender categories. However, even in the social media, stigmatization is apparent in sexual harassment and bullying. They experience psychological violence from these interactions online that demean and undermine their individuality and gender. Lexie understands both the pros and cons of social media, but he has faith on it as a tool for social connection and empowerment. Queer Theory Queer theory is the critique of metanarratives of the self (Beasley 2006, 162). Butler’s performativity of gender asserts that gender is socially performed and made (Beasley 2006, 162). The results are creation of psychic core illusions that shape gender and sexuality beliefs and practices (Beasley 2006, 162). Queer theory is a critique of homogeneity and fixed categories of sexuality (Beasley 2006, 162). It asserts that identity as social construction is unstable and disjointed (Beasley 2006, 162). Globalized identity and gayness as lifestyle can help depict and explore the changing boundaries of gender (Farr 2007, 613). The rhetorical construction of fluid sexuality online can be explored through the acceptance of fluidity in social networks (Beasley 2006, 162). In the case of Lexie, he does perform his gender in new and varying ways. He does not see himself as he or she categorically, which is why the paper also uses “he” and “she” interchangeably when referring to him/her. The idea is that gender and sexuality are flowing and performed because they are dynamic and heterogeneous. When Clayworth (2013) and Garrison (2013) explored transgendered identities and their experiences in the workplace, they also show the performance of transgendered identities in the public arena. These transgenders are changing in the public’s eye, and from there, they are shaping these people too through their reactions to them. Their gender performance is always open to judgment and criticism, to interpretation and exploration. To be queer is to create new narratives. Lexie provided a good message on how to be accepted through social media: “I think we should introduce ourselves to the world and say, hey we are transgender and we love it and we love you too. Please stop hating us. We just want to live and love.” Queer theory sees acceptance as something that can also be socially and politically mediated. It is about transgenders being out in the open, unashamed and unapologetic for who they are. Who they are is what they are and they should let people know it is okay to be transgender. The immoral people are those who judge them and treat them cruelly. Conclusion Transgendered youth experience both the pros and cons of social media. The pros are acceptance and respect online, acceptance or tolerance offline, and promotion of the cause of transgendered people, while the cons are bullying, sexual harassment, and stigmatization. Social media can be employed as a powerful tool for communication, liberation and cultural interconnectedness. As a means of globalization, it can shape perceptions about the transgendered in ways that can dispel harmful and inaccurate stereotypes and constructs. Social media can also be used to inform and to influence social institutions, so that they no longer promote essentialist gender binaries. Social media can also be used the other way- the promotion of heteronormative gender narratives- something that must be stopped through the efforts of the transgendered and their supporters. How social media is used and developed further by the transgendered has to be further studied and explored. For now, it is hoped that it can be a liberating and educational tool for the transgendered to inform the world of their voice and how they are as similar as any other human being who deserves respect, and indeed, acceptance and love. Bibliography Beasley, Chris. “Social Constructionism: Jackson, Weeks.” In Gender and Sexuality: Critical Theories, Critical Thinkers, 135-143. California: SAGE, 2006. _________. “Queer Theory: Jagose; Siedman.” .” In Gender and Sexuality: Critical Theories, Critical Thinkers, 161-174. California: SAGE, 2006. Budge, Stephanie L., Adelson, Jill L., and Kimberly A. S. Howard. “Anxiety and Depression in Transgender Individuals: The Roles of Transition Status, Loss, Social Support, and Coping.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 8, no.3 (2013): 545-557. Califia, Patrick. “Transgender Theorising.” In Gender and Sexuality: Critical Theories, Critical Thinkers, edited by Chris Beasley, 152-160. California: SAGE, 2006. Chambers, Deborah. Social Media and Personal Relationships: Online Intimacies and Networked Friendship. London: Palgrave MacMillan, 2013. Clayworth, Jason. “Restroom Battles Emerge in Transgender Rights Cases.” USA Today. Last modified October 27, 2013. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/27/transgender-rights-bathroom-battles/3282141/ Cook-Daniels, Loree. “Thinking About the Unthinkable: Transgender in an Immutable Binary World.” Special issue: Conflicts, Collaborations, and LGBTQ Cultural Work in Adult Education and Human Resource Development: Part Two by: New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development 26, no. 1 (2011): 63-70. Davis, Erin Calhoun. “Situating "Fluidity".” GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian & Gay Studies 15, no. 1 (2009): 97-130. Farr, Kathryn. “Globalization and Sexuality.” In The Blackwell Companion to Globalization edited by George Ritzer, 610-629. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2007. Garrison, Becky. “Coming Out as Transgender and Christian.” The Washington Post. Last modified September 27, 2013. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/wp/2013/09/27/coming-out-as-transgender-and-christian/ Green-Hamann, Sara, and John C. Serblom. “Developing a Transgender Identity in a Virtual Community.” In Social Networking and Impression Management: Self-presentation in the Digital Age, edited by Carolyn Cunningham, 185-204. Maryland: Lexington Books, 2013. Harding, Rosie. Regulating Sexuality: Legal Consciousness in Lesbian and Gay Lives. Oxon: Routledge, 2011. Jefferson, Jonathan. E-mail message to author, December 1, 2013. Lechner, Frank J. Globalization: The Making of World Society. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2009. National Center for Transgender Equality. Understanding Transgender. 2009. Last modified 2009. http://transequality.org/Resources/NCTE_UnderstandingTrans.pdf Riley, Elizabeth Anne, Sitharthan, Gomathi, Clemson, Lindy, and Milton Diamond. “The Needs of Gender-Variant Children and Their Parents According to Health Professionals.” International Journal of Transgenderism 13, no. 2 (2011): 54-63. Salter, Colin. “Going Online for Social Change: Techniques, Barriers and Possibilities for Community Groups.” Social Alternatives 30, no. 1 (2011): 19-23. Seidman, Jagose. “Queer Theory.” In Gender and Sexuality: Critical Theories, Critical Thinkers, edited by Chris Beasley, 161-175. California: SAGE, 2006. Shapiro, Eve. “'Trans'cending Barriers: Transgender Organizing on the Internet.” Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services 16, no. 3/4 (2004): 165-179. Siebler, Kay. “Transgender Transitions: Sex/Gender Binaries in the Digital Age.” Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health 16, no. 1 (2012): 74-99. Sieczkowski, Cavan. “Cassidy Lynn Campbell, Transgender Teen, Named Homecoming Queen” The Huffington Post. Last modified September 21, 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/21/transgender-homecoming-queen_n_3968729.html Sorrells, Kathryn. Intercultural Communication: Globalization and Social Justice: Globalization and Social Justice. California: SAGE, 2013. Valentine, David. Imagining Transgender: An Ethnography of a Category. USA: Duke University Press, 2007. Appendix A: Interview Questionnaire for Transgendered Youth Hi, I am ________. I am student of __________. For my class, ______, I am working on a paper on sexuality and globalization. As part of my research, I intend to interview transgenders through e-mail regarding their ideas about globalization and sexuality. My goal is to help my audience understand the positive and negative experiences of transgendered youth in schools. Please be informed that all information will be used for academic purposes only and that your real name may not be used for your privacy’s purposes. I respect your identity and apologize for the questions’ direct nature, especially with regard to gathering private information. I just want to gather as much information as possible to help inform the public of the experiences and thoughts of transgender people on globalization and sexuality. Please try to answer all questions and I appreciate all your help. Thank you. 1. Name: Jonathan “Lexie” Jefferson 2. Birth: January 8, 1996 3. Birth place: Texas 4. Age: 17 5. Race: Black 6. Ethnicity: African, Haitian 7. How do you describe your social status? Low income, middle class, upper-class? Middle-class 8. Occupation if any. Student 9. Born sexuality. Male 10. Current gender identity. Transgender 11. Religion if any. Catholic. 12. Why did you become a transgender? Because I want to be a woman and yet I am still a man to some extent. I’m more attracted to men, but every now and then, I like women. 13. If globalization is defined as the broadening, deepening and speeding up of global connections, how do you think globalization affects your life as a transgender? As a transgender, I think globalization affects my life by opening me to a world of possibilities. The social media is a good way of learning more about me and other people like me. I have more friends online than in real life, honestly. In real life, I can’t find people like me. Transgendered. It’s more of gay people and then they don’t like me that much because I actually like both the female and male me. I like who I am, like somewhere in between. Not male or female, but mostly female for now. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I want to be a tomboy for a change. 14. How did your family respond when they learned that you wanted to be a transgender? My father got mad and hit me. My mother, she accepts me. But she only follows my dad. My dad wanted me out of the house, so now, I am living with my Aunt. I feel alone right now. Like my family sees me dead. I have two older brothers. They hate me right now. 15. What is the community’s response to your gender identity? There’s not so many transgender in our town. They do not approve of me. They think I’m “dirty” and “immoral.” 16. What are some challenges and/or positive experiences in school/church regarding your gender identity? Some of the challenges in school are: being bullied, like stuck in garbage cans and lockers and in school, not being allowed to use the female cr. In church, I don’t go to church anymore. 17. Specifically, what are the positive and negative effects of social media in your life as transgendered youth? Social media has many positive effects for me, like finding people like me, networking, finding acceptance, love and respect, not just tolerance, and finding ways for expression. Also, some people are kinder now. It is like they know through the media that there are transgender people and they are not immoral or dirty. They accept us or at least tolerate us as people too, as human beings, only different. It’s a good thing. Tolerance is better than nothing. Negative effects are there too, like people bullying online and those who are against it are also using it to send bad messages and stereotypes about us. Also, I have been sexually harassed in my social networks, by mean people sending me sexual messages that just want to hurt me. I’ve also feel alienated because of stigma, like being transgender is a disease and a sin. There are online messages that make me feel like a whore and demon. 18. What do you think transgender people should do to improve acceptance for their gender identity? I think we should introduce ourselves to the world and say, hey we are transgender and we love it and we love you too. Please stop hating us. We just want to live and love. 19. Any other ideas on sexuality and globalization? I think globalization is good and bad for sexuality. Some of the good are social media and getting acceptance, and yet there’s also the bad- rejection and hate for us that comes from the same social media. Social media can do more, like helping us express ourselves so that people will know more about us, to get to know as human beings, until they accept us as human beings too. Read More