I don’t know how I feel. I don’t understand
why I feel like a boy on the inside, but I
am a girl on the outside. If I told someone
this, they’d think I’m crazy.
One time, I heard the term “transsexual”..
I looked up that word at the library, but
I didn’t find anything about it. Maybe that’s
what I am… Maybe it’s not.
Whether or not there is a label for me does
not change how I feel. I just wish there were
someone out there who understood what I am
going through...
So, wait is Taylor gay..?
Well, Taylor is confused about his gender,
not his sexuality.
Transgender history in the media really beings
with the term “transvestite” coined in
the early 1900’s as a blanket term for anyone
struggling with gender identity. This term
is still often used mistakenly to mean transgender,
but is considered derogatory and obsolete.
The term “transsexual” emerged in 1949
and made its way into the public sphere where
it became available for study and discussion.
In 1960 the first publication for transgender
people was published, called Transvestia Magazine.
And finally, in 1971, the word “transgender”
was born and secured its place as a term for
gender non-conformance.
Misconceptions by the public have long caused
a mass misunderstanding of the transgender
community. However, there has been an important
awakening concerning the battle over the rights
and freedoms of transgender people in the
last five years.
But wait, I still don’t really understand
the difference between gender and sexuality?
Transgender is a term used to describe people
whose gender identity differs from their original
birth sex. Therefore, for transgender people,
the sex they were assigned at birth and their
internal gender identity are not compatible.
People in the transgender community might
describe themselves as transgender, transsexual,
and genderqueer. To complete their transition,
many transgender people are prescribed hormones
by their doctors to change their bodies, and
some seek gender reassignment surgery.
Wow, great, I understand more. Let’s learn
more about transgender people!
I used to feel so alone and I thought I had
no place in this world. My parents didn’t
understand me or support me. Then, I found
various groups on social media that helped
me and my parents understand what I am going
through. These communities helped me make
friends and made me feel a lot better about
myself. One organization that has been helpful
is the Transgender Student Rights Group. Also,
social media has helped me find events near
me where I can meet other trans-people and
trans-allies.
I’ve noticed more and more trans-people
in TV shows and movies, too. Although some
depictions of them are positive, I feel like
most characters are so exaggerated. It can
be hard to relate to trans-people in the media
because they are never just a “person”
they are always the “trans-person.” Sometimes
the shows even show them in a negative light,
and I worry about how this affects viewers
perceptions of trans-people. I’m glad that
the transgender community is present and discussed
in mainstream media, but I think that we have
a ways to go until we are represented safely
and positively.
So wait, if we are mid-transgender revolution,
why does the media continue to falsely depict
transgender people’s stories?
Well, we still have a long way to go before
trans-people are fairly represented in the
media. One study showed that out of 100 shows
that have a trans-character, only 12% represented
the character in a groundbreaking and accurate
way and 54% of the shows depicted the character
negatively.
Additionally, a fifth of these characters
played the roles of sex-workers, which is
a profession that is sometimes inaccurately
associated with trans-people. And it doesn’t
end there! 61% of these shows contained anti-transgender
slurs, language, or dialogue.
Are we really becoming more tolerant towards
transgenders as they start to show up in media?
Or are they still the victims of the crowd?
We still have a ways to go until transgender
people are fairly represented in both the
media and society. Shows such as Orange is
the New Black and Transparent have been applauded
by the transgender community, but until everybody
recognizes the importance of accurate representation
of transgender people in the media, our society
will continue to misunderstand and mistreat
the trans community.
Over the next few years, the continued prominence
of transgender issues in the media will work
to normalize gender non-conformity and secure
its place in the mainstream. The time-space
compression brought about by the information
age will not only allow access to information
about transgender identity for the masses,
but it will continue to be an outlet for a
historically marginalized and misunderstood
group. Because of the the free flow of information
an identity that was until recently nameless
will become acknowledged and widely accepted.
Most importantly, however, transgender people
will have much more information and access
to their community in a way that would have
been impossible twenty years ago.
