As early as the 1600s, the discrimination against the Transgender people was already engraved in our history. With Queen Christina of Sweden, who was often considered bisexual, dressed in men’s clothing and even went to the extent of renaming herself “Count Dohna.” (LGBT Resource Center). The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or LGBTQ for decades has always been advocating for their rights in our civilization--constantly fighting against discrimination and shouting equality in the streets. Due to our dynamic society and the power of Social Media, the fight for their rights has made tremendous progress. Although our society has shed some light to LGBTQ, the Transgenders are what we often heard being discriminated on news and on Social Media. Thus this paper would be a bird’s eye view on everything about the Transgenders and their story.
Introduction
We often hear the term LGBT on the television or even watching the activists protesting for their rights—what is its true meaning? According to LGBT Ireland, L stands for Lesbian, a woman who is attracted to women. G stands for Gay, a man who is attracted to men, but one would generally hear other gender identities being called as such. B stands for Bisexual, which means someone who is attracted to both sexes.
Before we dwell in onto the last letter of the LGBT, we should first define the meaning of “Gender Identity,” this is a person’s “deeply-felt inner sense” of what sex they prefer to be while “Gender Expression” on the other hand means a person’s behaviors or characteristics, may it be their appearance, the way they dress, speech patterns or even mannerisms— these can be categorized as feminine or masculine (LGBT Map). Now that we have defined these terminologies, let us define the last letter which is the main focus of this paper, T stands for Transgender or Trans which is a general term describing people whose gender identity and/or gender expression is different from what was assigned to them at birth. (LGBT Ireland).
History
Where has all of this started? Why was there a need to fight for their rights? In the Transgender history, according to the latest data of GSAFE.Org, an organization for LGTBQ+ Youth, noted that in 1704, Lord Canbury, who was the New York and New Jersey’s Royal Governor was accused of dressing up as a woman when in court. While years after in 1752, a woman named “Charlotte Hamilton” who disguised herself as “Dr. Charles Hamilton” was arrested.
If one would examine, there are multiple counts of transgender discrimination in our society since the 1600s. This may be due to the fact that European Colonial Governments were advocating against same-sex activities branded as “sodomy.” In the Bible, it was written in Genesis, Chapter 19, that Sodom and Gomorrah, a large group of men wanted to rape two angels who were in the form of men--which is why the word “sodomy” came from “Sodom” which is branded as homosexual acts in the religious context. Because of the religion-based laws of our society back in those times, sodomy laws were enforced in order for people who do homosexual acts or are homosexuals be sanctioned or in worst cases, killed. That is why throughout the history, LGBTQ+ or specifically in this paper’s topic, Transgenders have been discriminated because of religious beliefs.
Discrimination and Transphobia
Now that we are able to provide the context and define the terminologies of this topic, let us go deeper to the topic—Transgender discrimination and them fighting for their rights. Discrimination has mostly been what we hear from their cries, it may be in the workplace, in public areas, opportunities for employment, universities, and in their respective communities.
In a study entitled Injustice at Every Turn, it was noted that sixty-three percent (63%) of their participants experienced several forms of discrimination that was said to have a major impact in their lives--loss of job due to bias; school bullying that would lead to dropping out of school; teachers bullying them; physical and sexual assault; homelessness; denied medical service; and even incarceration due to being a transgender. (Grant, Mottet, Tanis, et.al) This study was able to dwell in onto why the Transgenders are in constant pursuit of fighting for their rights and equality.
In 2016, it was recorded by Hrc.org, it was recorded that 23 transgenders were killed because of them being transgenders. This act is often caused by “Transphobia,” which means a fear or hatred towards Transgenders. (Healy) An act of Transphobia that sparked discussions in a Catholic-centric country, the Philippines, was when Jennifer Laude, a 26-yr.old Transwoman was killed by the 19-year old Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton. This sparked several debates of pro and the antis. (CNN Philippines) After 4 years of Laude’s family for justice, Pemberton was convicted for killing the Transwoman.
Fight for their Rights
Due to the increasing number of hate-crime against Transgenders, the Stone Wall Riots in June 1969 sparked the LGBT Rights movement, this is according to the timeline by the New York Times. It was when police officers raided and caused riot in a club called StoneWall Inn, who was in fact a gay club. A year after, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha Johnson started “Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries” or “Star House” which was an advocacy group and shelter for LGBT in New York.
It may seem like the dark years for the Transgenders but then years after, in 1975, Minneapolis was the first city to pass a law against transgender discrimination. After several years, the First International Conference on Transgender Law and Employment Policy happened at Houston in August 1992. It was a conference where activists and lawyers from the United States met and addressed legal issues that transgenders face.
1993 was the year when Minnesota became the first state to extend their protections against transgender discrimination. Rhode Island does the same after 8 years and as of that year, 17 states more do so. On 2004, the first Trans March took place in San Francisco and on 2008, the First Transgender mayor named Stu Rasmussen as elected as mayor of Silverton.
Lastly, in 2015, Former President Barack Obama was supportive of Transgender people and his advocacy for their rights as he stated this during his State of the Union Address— “That’s why we defend free speech and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender,” he said.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Transgenders and their constant fight for their rights and equality has come a long way. With the discrimination starting on 1600s and even up to this day, they have really proven to create a tremendous progress throughout the decades that passed. For most, it may seem like a long road towards reaching the total equality of LGBTQ in our society, one must agree that they have achieved so much in a short span of years and for sure, they wouldn’t stop unless they get what they truly deserve—acceptance and respect in our society.
Works Cited
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