The world around us is forever changing. As time goes on, our biology changes and adapts with our environment; as a human species, we seem to be reluctant to change social constructs, when the species around us exhibit this behavior naturally. For so long, we have been accustomed to believing that sex and gender are interchangeable. According to some available data, around 5% of animal species exhibit hermaphroditism, or 33% excluding insects ("Hermaphrodite"). The question then becomes, if this is prevalent in nearly 33% of animal species, is it possible that being some people being born a male, but feeling like they are a female, and vice versa, could be normal? As our social surroundings change, and as being our true and authentic self becomes more acceptable in the world, the meaning of sex and gender become less interchangeable and more defined as scientist learn more about human behavior. Even with scientific research, the general population is more reluctant to accept the transgender community, and often, they experience mistreatment by the public, governments and even within the same community that they identify with. Through education we begin to understand that human behavior is far more complex than what we can place in two categories, and have a better understanding of when the United States Constitution states “Equal Protection For All,” that applies to those who identify as transgender also.
So, what are sex and gender? Are they interchangeable? We have been accustomed to believing that sex and gender are interchangeable, and often may think they mean the same thing. The overwhelming belief is that a person’s gender is determined by their sex at birth (Parker, Horowitz and Brown). While this belief has been widely accepted for as far back as we can remember, new studies suggest that this belief isn’t completely accurate. Sex is the easiest term to define in this scenario; “sex” refers to the physical differences between people who are male, female, or intersex (Newman). This doesn’t seem so different than what we are accustomed to. Generally, people are assigned their sex at birth (male or female) based on the physiological characteristics, such as genitalia and chromosomal composition. When we look at gender, though, it is more so how a person identifies. The same article states that gender exists in social constructs; these are usually defined as the socially constructed roles, behaviors, and attributions that society considers appropriate for male and female. The most prevalent behavior we can identify is femininity. When we see a woman who has make-up on, nails done, hair done, clean, and in a dress, we would naturally think that’s normal female behavior. The high-pitched voice, the feminine “walk” where the hips move in a particular motion would be considered as normal women behavior. Now, let’s think about those behaviors from a different perspective. Some men, not all identify as homosexual, exhibit some of the same behaviors, although in different forms. They have a fresh haircut all the time, clear polish on the nails, get a manicure or pedicure, wear toning make-up (we may or may not even notice they are wearing) and some have a high-pitched voice. Now, many wouldn’t feel that is normal for a man, right? That is why many in the scientific community have concluded that gender is more of a social construct. Even though those behaviors are virtually the same or similar, one identifies as a male, one identifies as a female regarding sex.
Imagine being one thing on the outside but feeling like another thing on the inside. That is what the experience is like within the transgender community. Some are biologically a male, but internally, they feel and identify as female (and vice versa). When we take sex out of the equation, it’s easier to understand that even though people are supposed to identify one way (societal norms), many identify as another. And thus, you come to the ideal of being transgender; a person’s gender identity, expression or behavior does not conform to the sex that they were assigned at birth (American Psychological Association). Often, those who identify as transgender wish to alter their bodies through hormones, surgery and other means to make their bodies comfortable to them, and to conform with what they identify as. Transgender people should not be confused with “cross dressers” or “drag queens”; cross dressers often dress up as the opposite sex for fun, and in some cases as a sexual desire; they are typically comfortable with their sex, and don’t wish to change it. Drag queens or kings are the most famous, especially in the LGBTQIA+ community. They generally dress up as women (or men) for the sole purpose of entertaining people at clubs, bars, etc. In some cases, drag queens or kings aren’t gay at all.
Have you ever been misgendered, or called she/her when you identify as he/him? Naturally, growing up, I had a high-pitched voice. Connecting with people over the phone was where I was misgendered the most. Due to my high-pitched voice, I was often introduced or addressed as ma’am. Because of this personal experience, it’s easy for me to understand and sympathize with the transgender community about being addressed appropriately, for how I identify.
Even with the American Psychological Association conducting studies and research regarding being transgender, and the scientific community expressing that being transgender is no different than me being male, still transgender people face discrimination and mistreatment when receiving medical care. Transgender people are just like any other person, they need to have access to medical care. The major reason that transgender people are more likely to face road blocks when it comes to medical treatment is due to the lack of knowledge and understanding of the term, transgender (Katella). The common misconception about being transgender is that medical providers often think it’s related to sexual orientation, which it’s not; sex, gender and sexual orientation are all different from one another. Some transgender people have concerns about having their choices respected, while others have issues with medical providers placing blame on hormone therapy, rather than the root cause of issues that surround their health. The fact of the matter is that when and if a transgender person has sex reassignment surgery, continued medical care after these procedures is necessary. Discrimination and mistreatment from medical providers can cause an increased risk for health problems for those who are unable to seek healthcare.
Perception is everything, especially in the eyes of the everyday person. There are transgender people all around us, and in most cases, we wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from cisgender people. Yet, they continue to face harassment, discrimination and violence everyday in public settings. Just by doing a scroll on TiKTok, we can find many hateful things said. “No one is afraid of them, just disgusted”, “you’re still *deadname* to me”, “what’s in your pants?”, to name a few. For clarification, deadname refers to the name that was given to them at birth that they either changed, or no longer identify as. Reading through these comments, we begin to ask ourselves, how did we get here? According to (Parker, Horowitz and Brown), 6-in-10 adults in the U.S. say that whether a person is a man or a woman is determined by their sex assigned at birth; a rise from 2017 when 57% of adults said the same thing. The most telling part of this research is that the view that a person’s gender is determined by their sex assigned at birth is more common among those with lower levels of educational attainment. One of the biggest issues is that nearly 40% of American’s believe that society has gone too far in accepting transgender people, yet an overwhelming amount 47% of people state it’s important that if a person transitions to a gender that’s different than what was assigned at birth, they should be addressed by their correct name and pronouns. By continuing to educate the public about what transgender means, and that sex and gender are two separate identifiers, we may be able to sway public perception.
The Constitution of the United States of America states, “No State shall make or enforce any law . . . nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law,” ("Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection and Other Rights"). This amendment was enacted in 1868. Over the past 8 years, transgender issues have been a focal point within the politics of the United States, primarily those within the Republican Party. There have been numerous threats to take away rights to the transgender community. Just in 2017, Donald J. Trump, former President of the United States, through executive order, ordered that transgender people would no longer be able to serve in the military. In the state of Ohio, November 2024, Governor Mike DeWine signed a bill restricting transgender students use of the bathroom from kindergarten through college. And the latest, representative Nancy Mace, South Carolina, introduced a resolution to the U.S. Congress to prevent (1) incoming elected officials from using their bathroom they identify with. Even the protections afforded to us by the United States Constitution are not preventing the continued attack on the rights of the transgender community. Radicalization of the Supreme Court, with a majority being conservative, offers this community no reprieve.
LGBTQIA+: what does it mean? It is a community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and those identities not composed in the short acronym. Transgender people are included in this community, which is supposed to be a community for acceptance and equal protections. Even within the LGBTQIA+ community, transgender people find no solace; there is dismissal of life experiences, misgendering and even blatant disregard for privacy. Being a part of the gay community, I’ve witnessed firsthand how prejudicial the gay community can be. “No trans”, “only cis-gender men”, “no fish” can all be described as some of the verbiage I’ve seen in the bios of other gay men on the popular dating app, Grindr. The gay community is no exception to those perpetuating discrimination, hatred and mistreatment of the transgender community. The same issues lie within, such as misgendering and not using the correct or appropriate pronouns. Others, without regard to how the transgender person feels, will post a photo publicly of the transgender person, exposing them; not intentionally, but from being fascinated that they look like the sex they identify as. As a community, the LGBTQIA+ people have faced discrimination, and have fought for equal rights and protection; yet somehow, some of us forget where we came from.
There is scientific evidence to support the transgender community, yet the medical community is uneducated regarding the terminology of what transgender means. 64% of U.S. adults according to (Parker, Horowitz and Brown) favor protecting those who identify as transgender, yet according to the Human Rights Campaign, 34 transgender lives were tragically taken so far for 2024; of those, 40% were misgendered, or deadnamed by the authorities or the press (HRC Foundation). The United States of America enacted the 14th Amendment in 1868, which provides Equal Protection to all citizens, yet there are 84 bills in the United States congress actively threatening the rights of transgender individuals ("United States Trans Legislation Tracker"). The T in LGBTQIA+ community represents transgender people; a community that is still fighting for its rights today from a society that actively mistreats and alienates the transgender people. Progression takes time, and social constructs take time to adapt to. Society has an issue with addressing people by their pronouns, but in this piece alone, I have addressed others as they/them/their multiple times, and I bet those pronouns aren’t given a second thought. Perhaps the bigotry and hatred of the transgender community is rooted from the lack of education.
With that, I leave you the quote “Education is Elevation” - George Conscious Lee. Education is not only for students, but also education for one another of one another. When society has the capacity for critical thinking, only then can we begin to understand that we are all unique creations, whether that be by a God of your belief, or by the millions of years of evolution and adaptation. It is possible to live in unity with others, despite our differences. To make that possible, we as a society need to lead with empathy, and put simply, concentrate on the issues that we can address and fix for ourselves, our own individual lives.
"United States Trans Legislation Tracker". ""United States Trans Legislation Tracker"." (n.d.). Accessed December 9 2024. <https://translegislation.com/bills/2024/US>.
American Psychological Association. "Understanding transgender people, gender identity and gender expression." American Psychological Association (July 8 2024). <https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/transgender-people-gender-identity-gender-expression#:~:text=The%20term%20drag%20queens%20generally,concepts%20of%20gender%20as%20restrictive.>.
HRC Foundation. "Fatal Violence Against the Transgender and Gender-Expansive Community in 2024." Human Rights Campagin (n.d.). Accessed on December 9 2024. <https://www.hrc.org/resources/fatal-violence-against-the-transgender-and-gender-expansive-community-in-2024>.
Katella, Kathy. "What Does Medical Care Look Like When You’re Transgender?" Yale Medicine (March 15 2022). <https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/transgender-medical-care#:~:text=Transgender%20individuals'%20concerns%20about%20having,negative%20interactions%20with%20medical%20providers.>.
Newman, Tim. "Sex and gender: What is the difference?" Medical News Today (March 31 2023). <https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232363>.
Parker, Kim, Juliana Horowitz and Anna Brown. "U.S. Adults Have Complex Views on Gender Identity and Transgender Issues." Pew Research Center (June 28 2022). 3 December 2024. <https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/06/PSDT_06.28.22_GenderID_fullreport.pdf>.
United States of America. ""Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection and Other Rights"." The Constitution of the United States of America (n.d.). Accessed December 9 2024. <https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/>.
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