| TRANSGENDER YOUNG PEOPLE | |
| For information about supporting transgender youth, scroll down or follow the links: | |
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- Gender Identity Issues - Some definitions of Key Terms - Gender Identity and the Law - Some Frequently Asked Questions - ARTICLE: Issues confronting transgender and gender variant students in education. - Billy's Story - Support and Referral for Differently Gendered Young People | |
| Gender Identity Issues |  Top |
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| This website mainly relates to gay lesbian and bisexual young people. However it is important to address the fact that transgender or gender non-conforming young people are subject to similar victimization and denial of opportunities. Transgender people are some of the most misunderstood and misrepresented people in our society. There is minimal research, resources and information around the issues concerning gender identity. In addition to the dearth of support and information, many youth expressing gender non-conforming behaviours or identifying as transgender find themselves rejected by family, school, church, peers and other communities of origin. They face the same risk factors as their same sex attracted counterparts. While there is little Australian research as yet on transgendered youth it is believed that these young people are even more marginalised and disenfranchised than their gay, lesbian and bisexual peers. While young transgender people are not present in as many numbers as same sex attracted young people, it is still important that their issues around gender identity are addressed. | |
| Some definitions of Key Terms | Top |
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| While these definitions are the most commonly accepted in the transgender community, some are subject to ongoing debate and discussion. For the purposes of this website, these definitions are the framework from which we are operating. Sex: The biological status of male or female. Gender: the social construction of ones sex. In our society one’s sex is expected to correspond to their gender, ie if you are female you are supposed to have a feminine gender. Gender identity: a person’s internal sense of being female, male or both or neither. This is communicated to others by ones gender expression-clothes, hair style, mannerisms etc. Society prescribes arbitrary rules or gender roles (how one is expected to and not expected to dress act, think, feel, relate to others etc) based on ones biological sex. Transgender: An umbrella term for those whose gender identity or behaviour fall outside of stereotypical gender norms. Transgender people are those who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. This includes those who identify with the opposite gender to their biological sex, ie someone who is born anatomically ‘female’ but feels this is at odds with their inner sense of being male. There are other transgender people who do not identify with either sex/gender or may feel bi-gendered, challenging the notion that there is only two mutually exclusive genders. Transexual: those individuals who are born anatomically male or female but have profound identification with the gender opposite to that assigned to them at birth. Many, though not all, opt for surgery and hormone treatment to correspond to their internal concept of self. Transphobia: refers to the fear and hatred of transpeople which take place in the form of harassment, violence, abuse and towards those who are or perceived to be transgender. Affirming Gender/transition: The process of adopting a lifestyle and/or body that matches a person’s sense of their gender. The process may take some time, involve a number of different but related processes and may or may not involve surgery Intersex: A biological condition where a person is born with reproductive organs and/or sex chromosomes that is not exclusively male or female. The previous term for intersex was hermaphrodite. | |
| Gender Identity and the Law | Top |
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| Under the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 1995, it is unlawful to treat someone unfairly or harass them because of their actual or perceived gender identity. This legislation is another relevant framework for creating and maintaining safe and supportive learning environments free from harassment and discrimination for all students. Schools are both providers of services and are employers, and therefore have legal and moral responsibilities for the ‘duty of care’ of students under both State/Territory and Commonwealth legislation. This law protects anyone whose identification as a member of the relevant gender is genuine against unlawful discrimination and harassment based on their gender identity. The Equal Opportunity Act 1995 recognises and promotes everyone’s right to a fair go by:
It is therefore unlawful to treat someone unfairly or harass them on the basis of their actual or perceived gender identity. Schools are obliged by law to ensure their environments are free from discrimination and harassment. Schools are also required to support and respect a student’s choice to identify as their desired gender when this does not align with their biological sex. The Department of Education has upheld this policy where this situation has arisen at particular schools. | |
| Some Frequently Asked Questions | Top |
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| Is transgenderism the same as homosexuality? No. Transgenderism is about gender identification. Gender identification is distinct from sexual orientation. Gender identity is about someone’s innate sense of maleness or femaleness, whereas sexuality/sexual orientation is about who someone is attracted to. Can transgender people be same sex attracted? Yes. Just like people the rest of the population there is a range of sexual orientations within the transgender community. Is being transgender/transsexual abnormal? Transgender/transsexual people may be described as the minority of minorities. They are heavily out-numbered even by lesbian, gay and bisexual people, but this hardly makes them abnormal. They have been around just as long as lesbian, gay, bisexual and heterosexual people and probably in every culture. There has always been a diversity of people in the world. Is transgenderism a form of mental illness? Conventional medical diagnosis recognises several kinds of psychiatric disorders relating to gender, such as ‘gender identity disorder’ ‘gender dysphoria’ and ‘transexualism’. However many gender variant people believe strongly that the right to choose one’s own destiny is not a pathology; but is instead the assign of a very mature, thoughtful and intelligent adult. What pronouns do I use when I am referring to a transgender person? This is typically one of the first questions people ask. The answer is: ask the person which pronoun they want you to use. | |
| ARTICLE: Issues confronting transgender and gender variant students in education. | Top |
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| Transgender people are arguably the least understood and most maligned of all minority groups. A fixed concept of gender is perhaps the most basic assumption in our culture and contradictions to that assumption are often extremely confronting. Sigmund Freud, observed in his writings in ‘Femininity’: ‘When you meet a human being, the first distinction you make is male or female?…and you are accustomed to make the distinction with unhesitating certainty’. Perhaps everyone will have at some asked the question, ‘is this a boy or a girl’, when they have been unable to make the distinction. Certainly it is the common first question asked of parents of a newborn baby. Culturally then, there is enormous pressure for all individuals to adopt the expected gender behaviours associated with being male or female. When then are the implications for individuals whose sense gender is contrary to their physical maleness or femaleness? Before addressing these it might be useful to give some background on transgender identity. A transgender person, according to the NWS Anti-Discrimination Board, is ‘anyone who lives, has lived or wants to live as a member of the opposite gender (sex) to their birth sex’. According to medical models, in children, it is someone who: repeatedly states a desire to be, or insistence that s/he is, the other sex; preference for the clothing of the other sex; strong and persistent preferences for cross-sex roles in make believe play; intense desire to participate in the stereotypical games and pastimes of the other sex. Both definitions carry limitations. The transgender community itself allows for a far more multi colored umbrella definition that is inclusive of anyone who transgresses gender norms. However the ‘feminine’ boy or the ‘masculine’ girls are not providing guaranteed clues of transgenderism. A transgender child cannot always be readily identified by their behaviour. Because transgender children carry the same gender conditioning as others their true feelings, and their own fear of them, will often be hidden under outwardly appropriate birth gender behaviour. It is probable then that only a small percentage of transgender children will necessarily be identified within the school system. However, once identified, they are likely to be subjected to duress at many levels. Many of these children who present as a disappointment to the expectations of their parents will find themselves at risk in their own homes. This can range from overt or covert disapproval from parents, siblings and relatives to emotional and sometimes physical abuse. Too often such children are ostricised in the very environment that should afford them protection. They are even more likely to meet with ostracism, abuse and violence in the school community. Certainly, peer groups can be extremely cruel when dealing with those who exhibit any form of difference. Unfortunately the transgender young person is frequently left without any source of support. In the face of this it is common for the student to become withdrawn, untrusting and isolated. If, as has been common in the past, the young person’s predicament is ignored the long term impact on their quality of life, ability to socialize and access to equitable education can be severely impeded. The transgender community in general suffers excessively high suicide/attempted suicide rates, systemic discrimination, unemployment, lack of equity in access, limited opportunity, low levels of self worth/esteem and dignity, high incidence of verbal and physical abuse and difficulties in establishing and maintaining relationships. For teachers dealing with transgender or gender variant students there are some simple guidelines that can make a world of difference:
By Elizabeth Riley, Coordinator, The Gender Centre, NSW. Resource packs and information for teachers and students including fact sheets are available from the Gender Centre. Call (02) 9569 2366. | |
| Billy's Story | Top |
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| The Internet has given me the opportunity to explore my feelings…Realising I am not alone. If it weren’t for the net, I don’t know what would have happened but I know I wouldn’t be as well equipt as I am now. It’s opened my eyes but in a way made me more depressed. I know more but I can’t do a damn thing about it. The whole waiting til I’m 18 is killing me. If the Internet had never been invented I would definitely be less informed…I would be more depressed. Doing worse at school. Be more stressed. I might not even be typing this right now, might have suicided, totally crack from the pressure. I can be myself [on the Interent]…I can communicate with people around the world who are in similar situation to me. I can communicate as myself, a boy. The fact that I am biologically female is no matter. (Neither my face nor my voice is projected so the only thing they get is what is on my mind. …It’s terrible having to keep this to yourself with no one else to talk to; to reassure you you are okay…My least favorite activity is talking to my parents. Or the lack of talking. We don’t get along…They don’t understand me…They say no to anything boyish and try to force me to be girly so actually I’m pretending to be someone else everyday. The real me is trapped inside. I’ve told no one in real life for fear of rejection (my parents already reject me now). Also, I hate being different. All I want is a normal life. Billy, 17 Source: It’s Just Easier: The Internet as a Safety-Net for Same Sex Attracted Young People. Lynne Hillier, Chloe Kurdas & Philomena Horsley. Australian Centre for Sex Health and Society, 2001. | |
| Support and Referral for Differently Gendered Young People | Top |
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| Many of the social and support groups listed on the Rainbow Network list (see referral link) are open to differently gendered youth. Useful website links: NSW Gender Centre website has useful information and advice for those experiencing gender identity issues and those supporting them.
Also see The Good Tranny Guide: a web site listing support groups, tranny friendly businesses etc and giving medical and legal information: www.tgfolk.net/sites/gtg/index.html Website produced for and by differently gendered young people, including personal stories and experiences: www.youthresource.com/community/transgender | |