|
ALGBTICAL
HOME
ORGANIZATION
NEWS
INFORMATION
RESOURCES
LINKS
INFO
Frequently
Asked Questions
Statements and
Declarations
Origins of
Homosexuality
Homophobia and
Heterosexism
Glossary of
Common Terms
Research
Myths and
Misconceptions
Stereotypes
Sex and
Gender
Bisexual
Information
Reparative
Therapy
Drag,
Transvestism
and Crossdressing
LINKS
ALGBTIC:
Competencies for
Working With
Transgender Clients
Alabama
Gender Alliance
Gender.Org
Answers.Com
Transgender
Defined
Natl Center for
Transgender Equality
PFLAG:
Our Trans
children
Center for
Gender Sanity
Transgender
Organizations
Transgender
Publications
LINKS
TransAmerica
Legal & Political
Rights of
Transgender People
TGI
Justice
Project
Transgender
Employment Links
Jessica Pettitt
American
Psychological Assn: Answers to Questions
About Transgender
Issues
|
TRANSGENDER BEAUTY QUEEN
Disqualified for
Miss Universe Pageant
April 2012
Jenna Talackova, a
23-year old Canadian beauty pageant contestant from
Vancouver, who was disqualified when the Miss
Universe Canada organizers discovered she was
transgender, said she had been devastated by the
decision and wanted a clear change in the rules.
After initially
disqualifying Jenna Talackova, organizers of the
Miss Universe beauty pageant reversed course and
said she can participate afterall.
In a statement, the
Miss Universe Organization said Jenna Talackova can
compete provided "she meets the legal gender
recognition requirements of Canada, and the
standards established by other international
competitions."
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD)
commended the pageant
organizer's decision Monday
night. "The Miss Universe
Organization made the right
decision and has taken an
important first step," the group
said.
Talackova was one of the 65
finalists selected to contend
for the title of Miss Universe
Canada and the honor of
representing her country in the
Miss Universe competition.
But organizers told her last
month she could not compete
because she lied about having
undergone sexual reassignment
surgery and did not meet
requirements for the pageant. At
the time, the Miss Universe
Organization said current rules
state that all contestants must
be a "naturally born female."
In
a 2010 interview in Thailand,
where she was competing for Miss
International Queen, a
competition for transgender
women, Talackova said she knew
she was a girl at age 4. She
said she started hormone therapy
at age 14 and underwent sexual
reassignment surgery at 19.
LINKS:
CNN: Transgender Miss Universe Contestant
MS NBC
News: Transgender Beauty Queen Criticizes Donald Trump
Associated Press: Transgender Pageant Hopeful Wants Rule Change
TRANSGENDER TERMINOLOGY
Trans Terms &
Definitions
Transgender -
"Transgender" is often used as an
umbrella term and refers to those who transgress societal gender norms.
Generally, people who identifies as transgender exhibit some behavior or
traits that falls outside of traditional gender expectations.
Androgyny -
The
mixing of masculine and feminine characteristics. 2. Something that is
neither masculine nor feminine.
Drag -
The
act of dressing in gendered clothing as part of a performance. Drag may
be performed as a political comment on gender, as parody, or simply as
entertainment. Drag performance does not indicate sexuality, gender
identity, or sex identity.
Intersex -
Intersexuality is a naturally occurring condition that affects the
reproductive and sexual system. Intersex people are born with sex
chromosomes, external genitalia, or internal reproductive systems that
are not considered "standard" for either male or female. The existence
of intersexuals shows that there are not just two sexes and that our
ways of thinking about sex (trying to force everyone to fit into either
male box or female) is socially constructed.
Gender Bender/Gender Queer -
A person who redefines or plays with
gender, or who refuses gender altogether. People who bend/break the
rules of gender and blur the boundaries.
Cross-dresser -
A
person who enjoys dressing in clothes typically associated with the
other gender. Preferred over the term “transvestite.” Cross-dressers
may be of any sexual orientation.
Two-Spirited -
A term
for third-gender people that are among many Native American and Canadian
First Nations tribes. It usually implies a masculine spirit and a
feminine spirit living in the same body. It is also used by gay,
lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex Native Americans to
describe themselves. Two-Spirited people have distinct gender and social
roles in their tribes. Some are counselors while others are medicine
persons or spiritual functionaries. They study skills including story
telling, theater, magic, hypnotism, healing, herbal medicine,
ventriloquism, singing, music and dance.
CHASTITY BONO STORY
Sonny & Cher's Daughter is
Transgender
A rep for
Chastity Bono, the child of
Sonny and Cher,
confirms that Chastity Bono, 40 years old, is
in the process of transitioning from female to male.
Chastity's new
name is Chaz. After many years of
consideration, he has made the courageous
decision to honor his true identity. It is
Chaz's hope that his choice to transition
will open the hearts and minds of the public
regarding this issue, just as his 'coming
out' did nearly 20 years ago.
   
LINKS:
TRANSGENDER RESOURCES
Helpful Information and Material
Listed here are helpful materials,
information, and other resources relevant to transgender issues. This
list of links has been compiled for use by parents, advisors,
counselors, teachers, friends, and caregivers
seeking supportive material related to transgender concerns.
LINKS:
ALGBTIC:
Competencies for Working With Transgender Clients
American
Psychological Association: Transgender Resources
Facing Trans: Inclusion, Advocacy,
Empowerment Workbook, Guide & Resource Packet
PFLAG: Our Trans Children
Jessica Pettitt: Transgender
Resource Guide
You Tube: Transgender Children - Out
of the Shadows
Peer Educator: Gender Bending Your
Ear
The Atlantic: Transgender Youth
How Have Trans-Inclusive
Non-Discrimination Policies Changed Institutions?
You Tube: Comments from 7 Year Old
Jazz
NASPA & ACPA: Transgender Resource
Guide
ABC News: Understanding Transgender
Children
Transgender
Publications
Born With the Wrong Body
Motion Picture: TransAmerica (A
Review)
Steps to Making a Campus More
Trans-Inclusive
Frequently Asked Questions:
Transgender Children
The View: Discussion on Transgender
Children
Ethics & Gender
Continuum
Laura's Playground
ALABAMA GENDER ALLIANCE
Trans
Advocacy & Support
Gender variant individuals
are fortunate to have a support group in Alabama. The group is
called the Alabama Gender Alliance. Their mission is to create an
online utopia, 3D social club, and public advocacy group for the gender
variant, transgendered, transexual, intersexed, genderqueer,
cross-dressing, and transvestite residents of Alabama, as well as the
Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies (SOFFAs) who love them.
J. D. ‘Ox’ Freeman
is the Founder and President of Alabama Gender Alliance.
Membership is free and
easy. Once your membership is active, all of the free features of the
on-line community are available, including polls, a photo gallery,
e-mail dialog among all members, a chat room, and an event calendar.
LINKS:
Alabama Gender
Alliance Google Site
GENDER TERMINOLOGY
Sex & Gender Glossary
Gender -
A socially constructed
collection of traits, behaviors, and meanings that we use as a standard
for how biological differences should be represented.
Gender Conformity -
When your gender
identity and sex “match” (i.e. fit social norms). For example, a male
who identifies and behaves in traditionally masculine ways and
identifies as a man.
Gender Expression -
Outward behaviors and
appearances (e.g. hair, clothing, voice, body language) by which people
manifest their gender identity or gender choices.
Gender Identity -
A person’s fundamental sense of their own gender. This
can include identifying as a combination of genders or refusing to label
oneself with a gender. Gender identity is often confused with or
considered tied to sexual orientation, but this is inaccurate. Gender
identity and sexual orientation are exclusive off each other.
Gender Roles -
Are the socially constructed and culturally specific
norms of behavior and appearance expectations imposed based on
biological sex (i.e. femininity and masculinity).
Sex Identity -
The sex that a person sees themselves as. This can
include refusing to label oneself.
IDENTITY
DEVELOPMENT
Transgender Model
Based on D’Augelli’s Model of LGB
Identity Development (1994), the processes below do not necessarily
occur linearly nor does every transgender person experience each
process. It should also be noted that the term “transgender” covers a
wide variety of identities. Individuals may experience the stages in
different ways or to different degrees depending on how they
specifically identify and the particular restrictions or prejudices that
society places on that identity.
Exiting a Traditional Gendered
Identity
Involves recognition that one is gender
variant, attaching a label to this identity, and affirming oneself as
gender variant through coming out to others.
Developing a Personal Transgender Identity
Entails achieving the stability that
comes from knowing oneself in relation to other transgender people and
challenging internalized transphobia.
Developing a Transgender Social Identity
Focuses on creating a support network of
people who know and accept that one is gender variant.
Becoming a Transgender Offspring
Consists of coming out as transgender to
family members and reevaluating relationships that may be disrupted by
the disclosure.
Developing a Transgender Intimacy Status
Involves the creation of intimate physical and emotional relationships.
Entering a Transgender Community
Involves making a commitment to political
and social action and understanding identity through challenging
transphobia.
ALMHCA TRANSGENDER WORKSHOP
Featuring Stacee Reicherzer
February 2008
ALMHCA (Alabama Mental
Health Counselors Association) presented its Winter Workshop on
February 22, 2008. It featured training on transgender issues.
The title of the seminar was, "Beyond
Barbie, Ken, and the DSM: Working with the Lived Experiences of
Transgendered Clients."
The presentation was developed through the research
and clinical work of the Dr. Stacee Reicherzer,
Ph.D., LPC, NCC,
who identifies and
lives as transgender. While a good deal of the presentation was
directly informed by Dr. Reicherzer’s clinical practices, her
dissertation research, which developed a grounded theory through the
use of transgender narratives, was the primary source of
skill-emphasis.
This included, as educational content, a demonstration of sex,
sexuality, and gender as continua; skill-building in inviting client
language, and working with clients’ named experiences of gender;
guidelines for supporting clients’ rights to choose hormones and
surgical reassignments; and counselor resources for support of the
process of working with transgender clients. The presentation
was
intended primarily for counselors who work in community mental
health and private practice settings that transgender clients may
access in seeking care.
Audience members learned about:
the distinctions
between and within sex, sexuality, and gender; the emerging language
that transgenders use in describing gender experiences, with
emphasis in the process of creating language as a means of naming
self as a gendered being; established protocols that are outlined in
the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH)
Standards of Care for the purpose of diagnosis and assessment for
clients who are seeking hormone replacement therapies and sexual
reassignment surgeries; and additional counseling skills that
transgenders have specifically identified as needs of the counseling
profession.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Stacee
L. Reicherzer, LPC, NCC
is a counselor and counselor educator whose primary
clinical and research emphasis has focused on gender and sexual
diversity across the lifespan. She is the current president of the
Texas Association of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues in Counseling
(TAGLBIC), and has recently been invited to participate in an
international delegation, hosted by Columbia University, that
studies the global impact of shame and humiliation.
Dr. Reicherzer has provided numerous
lectures, workshops, and press interviews related to GLBTQIQ issues,
including a special interview that featured for an episode of the
Discovery Health network series, Dr. G: Medical Examiner. She
currently is in the process of writing a textbook chapter on
qualitative research of transgender issues, as well as a textbook
chapter on bisexuality and gender identity development among
adolescent males.
Dr. Reicherzer is philosophically guided by
relational-cultural theory (RCT), and is a trained practitioner of
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In her private
practice, she specializes in work with survivors of hate crimes and
sexual abuse, and has clinical skill in addressing the spectrum of
dissociative disorders, PTSD, somatoform disorders, and borderline
personality disorder. Additionally, she provides consultation and
training services that focus on diversity celebration and increased
efforts toward collaboration in organization development.
LINK:
Ethics & Gender
Continuum
TRANSGENDER NEEDS
How the Needs of T Might Differ from LGB
They may identify as heterosexual, so they may not be dealing with
issues of sexuality. However, depending on how they sexually identify,
transgender people may face discrimination from both heterosexuals and
LGB people.
They may experience more verbal and physical attacks than most LGB
people if they cross-dress or otherwise “look gender variant.”
They are generally less accepted in society than LGB people, in large
part due to ignorance. There is little understanding of transgender
lives; they are not visible in popular culture beyond stereotypes and
almost no research has been done on their experiences.
They sometimes experience a lack of acceptance and support from the LGB
community.
As a result of the lack of acceptance and
support in the dominant culture and in the LGB community, they often
lack a strong community and positive role models or images.
Consequently, transpeople, especially trans youth, may feel isolated and
marginalized.
Transpeople may want to remain closeted because of the legitimate fear
of how they will be treated by their professors, employers, co-workers,
friends, and others in their field.
Transpeople often have a hard time finding medical help that is
knowledgeable and understanding concerning transgender issues.
If transitioning, they will need to change their identification as well
as other records and documents. Keep in mind that different states and
institutions have different rules about when and if these changes are
possible.
They are especially vulnerable to attack, harassment, and/or
embarrassment when trying to use the gender appropriate bathroom.
Transpeople often have others refer to them as a gender different than
the one with which they wish to identify or insist on calling them by
their given name even though they have changed it.
Beemyn, B. (2003,
Fall). Serving the needs of transgender college students.
Journal of
Gay and Lesbian Issues in Education,1,
33-50.
TRANS HARDSHIPS
Obstacles for Transgender Youth
Transgender youth often face enormous hardships when they acknowledge
and express their gender identity.
They
may be thrown out of the house when their family discovers that they are
transgender, often forcing them to live on the streets.
They
typically face harassment and abuse in school to such an extent that
they quit, which makes it hard for them to get decent-paying jobs (for
example, a survey of more than 250 transgender people in Washington,
D.C. found that forty percent had not finished high school and another
40 percent were unemployed).
Even
if they are able to get an education, they have difficulty finding and
keeping almost any kind of job because of discrimination, forcing some
to become sex workers.
If
they live on the streets or are a sex worker, they are at a greater risk
for abusing drugs, becoming infected with HIV, and being subjected to
anti-transgender violence.
Many
lack access to health care, including proper counseling and medical
supervision for those who are in the process of transitioning. And when
they do get medical treatment, they frequently face discrimination and
hostility from health-care workers. Consequently, some transsexuals
decide to treat themselves by buying underground hormones, which can
contain dangerous if not deadly chemicals.
Because gender reassignment surgery can cost more than $100,000 and is
not covered by most health insurance policies, even most middle-class
transsexuals cannot afford the procedures.
The
ultimate result is often high rates of depression, drug and alcohol
abuse, and thoughts of suicide among transgender people (thirty-five
percent of the respondents to the D.C. survey mentioned above reported
that they had seriously considered suicide).
Many
transgender people who can “pass” will choose to remain closeted, so
trans youth often do not have visible role models and mentors.
Explore an ecological
strength-based framework for the treatment of gender-variant clients
This comprehensive book provides you with a clinical and theoretical
overview of the issues facing transgendered/transsexual people and their
families. Transgender Emergence: Therapeutic Guidelines for Working
with Gender-Variant People and Their Families views assessment and
treatment through a nonpathologizing lens that honors human diversity
and acknowledges the role of oppression in the developmental process of
gender identity formation.
Specific sections of Transgender Emergence: Therapeutic
Guidelines for Working with Gender-Variant People and Their
Families address the needs of gender-variant people as well as
transgender children and youth. The issues facing gender-variant
populations who have not been the focus of clinical care, such
as intersexed people, female-to-male transgendered people, and
those who identify as bigendered, are also addressed.
The book examines... the six stages of transgender emergence...
coming out as transsexual or transgender as a normative process
of gender identity development... thinking "outside the box" in
the deconstruction of sex and gender... the difference between
sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as the
convergence, overlap, and integration of these parts of the
self... the power of personal narrative in gender identity
development... etiology and typographies of transgenderism and
transsexuality... treatment models that emerge from various
clinical perspectives... alternative treatment modalities based
on gender variance as a normative lifecycle developmental
process.
LINK:
TRANS AMERICA
Film Focuses on Transgender Story
"Transamerica," a 2005
film, starring Felicity Huffman, tells the story of
a pre-operative male-to-female transsexual who takes an unexpected
journey when she learns that she fathered a son, now a teenage runaway
named Toby.
Southern Californian Bree Osbourne, who
was formerly Stanley Chupak, has finally received the news for which she
has been waiting: she has been approved for male-to-female sexual
reassignment surgery. But before her therapist will allow her to go
through with the surgery, Bree has to reconnect with Toby, who was
looking for Stanley, his biological father.
The film was written and directed by
Duncan Tucker. Felicity Huffman (from "Desperate Housewives") won
a Golden Globe award and an Oscar award nomination for her performance.
Her acting skill fills Bree with insecurity, pathos, warmth, humor, and
growth which ultimately transforms the audience's involvement from freak
show curiosity to empathy and identification.
One critic described the film thusly:
"It's not about sexuality, fetish, or camp. It's a movie about
otherness, transformation, family, and ultimately acceptance."
LINK:
Movie Database Info and Comments
HELPFUL TIPS
Health Care, Social Services, and Transgender People
Outing:
Remember that revealing the transgender status of any transgender person
without his or her expressed permission has the same potential for harm
as outing a gay man, lesbian, or bisexual man or woman. Outing is an
invasion of privacy.
Appearance:
Do not
assume that someone who appears to be cross-dressed is a "transvestite."
That Person may or may not be living full-time in their presenting
gender, or they may intend to do so in the future.
Usage Tips:
Instead of the stigmatizing "transvestite", use Male Cross-dresser
or Female Cross-dresser if it's clear that they are not
living full-time nor intend to do so.
Living Status:
If a
transgender person is living full-time in a gender not associated with
their birth sex, that person should be referred to at all times with
terms appropriate to their presenting gender, regardless of their
surgical status or body state (see below).
Usage Tips:
Transgender Woman is appropriate for Male-To-Female persons.
Transgender Man is appropriate for Female-to-Male persons.
Transgender Person is appropriate for someone of either above
types.
Transgender People is appropriate for mixed groups.
Surgical Status:
Almost
all transsexuals – pre-operative, post-operative or non-operative – and
many transgender people are extremely sensitive about their surgical
status and/or their body's physical state. Questions about this should
be avoided or, if medically necessary, asked very sensitively.
Moreover, this information should be considered confidential and should
not be shared with others unless it is medically necessary.
Usage Tips:
Regardless of their surgical status, the appropriate term for a
Male-To-Female transsexual is Transsexual Woman, and for a
Female-to-Male transsexual, Transsexual Man.
Avoid Aspersion by Using Quotation Marks:
Never put pronouns or possessive adjectives of transgender persons in
quotes. Never put their sexual orientations or genitalia in quotes.
Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives:
It is
extremely offensive to refer to transgender persons using pronouns and
possessive adjectives that refer to their birth sex.
Usage Tips:
Use pronouns and adjectives appropriate to the transgender person gender
expression. If you are uncertain, ask what they prefer. Some people
prefer the new pronoun ze (pronounced “zee”) in lieu of
she/he, and the new possessive adjective hir (pronounced “here”) in lieu
of his/her.
Self-Identification:
Not all transgender people use the same terminology to
describe themselves. When in doubt, just ask an individual transgender
person how they wish to be identified.
Usage Tips:
If you’re not sure how to address someone, just ask. Or simply use
their first name or last name. It's sometimes customary for patients or
clients in clinical situations to be asked by their last name when it’s
time to see their providers.
HOME l
ORGANIZATION l
NEWS l
INFO l
RESOURCES l
LINKS
|
