Through the last decade, many new icons have flown alongside the American flag. The colors and groups they represent vary, but they are all united under that iconic rainbow flag. The public emergence of the LGBTQ+ community has undoubtedly been a new social experience for the United States; however, some people still contend these societal shifts. The transgender community has received a particularly potent dose of hatred directed at the LGBTQ+ community. Transgender people are often denied their transition, denied their rights on a political basis and bombarded with slurs.
“Overall, with the [LGBTQ+] community it’s great,” Aaron Marin (10) said. “But outside of it, it’s kind of hard to be accepted sometimes, especially being trans.”
One of the most common difficulties trans people face is misgendering, in which a person uses the individual’s dead pronouns. Though misgendering can seem like a simple offense, it can slightly reject the person’s transition.
“Usually [peers or adults] just don’t gender me correctly, and they think of me differently when they find out I’m trans,” Marin said. “They kind of look at me more girly, even if they know I’m a dude.”
LGBTQ+ minors are often not taken seriously by adults, whether they be random uninformed people or the individual’s parents. The idea of young and dumb seems to permeate the minds of those who reject the individual’s choice of sexuality or gender. Most people in previous generations did not experience this new social reality, so they often treat the subject with a sense of unreality or absurdity.
“Definitely, when you are open about your sexuality with an adult, they often criticize you,” Kayla Brock (9) said. “[They] think you are young and dumb and think you don’t know what you are talking about.”
However, an individual’s parents’ nonimmediate acceptance of their sexuality or gender is not always purely phobic. From the parent’s perspective, it can often be difficult to accept the child they raised as something other than what they raised them as. This battle is especially arduous for transgender minors, as they undergo a quite drastic shift in lifestyle following their transition.
“From the parent’s perspective, it’s hard to let your kid [have gender-affirming care], because of how you’ve viewed your child their entire life,” Brock said.
One of the primary stances that anti-trans people take is the biological stance. The nuance between gender and sex has quickly developed in the past few years, but many refuse to accept the distinction between the two, believing that sex determines gender — not recognizing the idea that gender is a societal construct.
“I try to approach [those people] with science, because most of their ‘biological’ stuff they go on is not really correct,” Marin said. “I try to go on with what I’ve learned from research, and if they are still refusing to accept it at that point, I just move on.”
While widespread transgender acceptance has been getting better, there is still systematic discrimination at the political level. The new “Protecting Our Kids from Child Abuse” act restricts federal funding to pediatric gender clinics and universities or organizations affiliated with pediatric gender clinics. It was aimed to have pediatric gender clinics be held liable for botched affirmation surgery, but it has effectively completely limited access to gender affirming care by making clinics even more scarce in funding. The name of the act calls certain images to mind, particularly of domestic violence or other forms of child abuse. Many do not hear child abuse and immediately think of transgender people; some believe that the name is quite misleading in this way.
“The name is terrible,” Marin said. “It spreads misinformation, strengthens transphobia and tries to paint trans people as villains. They’re fear mongering.”
The limitation on taxes going towards pediatric gender clinics in the Hawley bill only makes it harder for trans minors to overcome their own gender dysphoria. There will always be botched or harmful surgeries — whether they be gender-affirming or plastic. Many consider the effective loss of funding for pediatric gender clinics completely unreasonable.
“[The act] will probably have the opposite effect of the good thing they are trying to do,” Marin said. “It will probably end up making mental health for transgender people much worse. It is scientifically proven that [gender-affirming care] lowers suicide rates for trans people.”
The amount of introspection and character it takes for a person to transition is severely undermined. Many view transgenderism as a simple overnight switch, but it involves built-up gender dysphoria over years. For many, transitioning is not something that is accomplished with little effort, time or thinking.
“Trans people know a lot about themselves,” Brock said. “If you’ve explored every single aspect of yourself to know that you identify as something other than you are, I feel like you should respect the amount of knowledge that person has and the amount of character they have to admit that they feel that way.”
The social evolution that the LGBTQ+ community has induced has not ceased. A climate of acceptance may continue to be built, despite naysayers and bigots. The emergence of the LGBTQ+ community has exposed society to particular nuances of both self and interpersonal respect. Such a societal progression may ultimately refine society’s understanding of gender and dysphorias.
“Even if you don’t agree with it, it’s not right to hate on somebody,” Brock said. “Love thy neighbor as you love yourself. No matter if you are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, it does not matter. You should care for the person next to you, whether they identify as female, genderfluid, gender neutral, male.”
