How does the fact that HERO was shot down show that we as a society still have a lot of work to do on transgender issues? Even though we have been really accepting of Caitlyn Jenner, why are we not supporting the millions of other transgender people being discriminated against in every day life?
Since the debut of Caitlyn Jenner’s brave interview with Diane Sawyer, there has been a flood of media surrounding the subject of transgender issues. She has received plenty of respect and admiration for wanting to live an authentic life, and we as a society have patted ourselves on the back for being so accepting.
In light of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) being shot down last week, however, it becomes obvious that we as a society are not being as openhearted as we may have thought. The ordinance states “the City of Houston seeks to provide an environment that is free of any type of discrimination based on sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or pregnancy.”
Caitlyn Jenner has made some tremendous strides for social issues by making transgender issues part of the conversation. There is another side to this coin, though. Millions of other transgender people are being discriminated against in more ways than one, and our society has shown its trans phobia but not supporting them. HERO is an excellent example of this. Society is so thrown off by the idea of gender conformity not applying to everyone that they are willing to halt important legislation that could socially improve our country.
It becomes relevant to wonder, then, why is it that Caitlyn Jenner received so much support while so many others in her position are suffering? Her position of power, which is contributed to by the fame of her and her family along with her immense wealth, is why she has had such a different experience in her transition.
An article from ABC News quotes Kylie Aquino, the president of Jim Collin Foundation, a nonprofit that grants funds to individuals seeking gender-affirming surgery, on the subject, “I’m happy for Caitlyn, [but] don’t want her narrative to be perceived as the norm. People who don’t have her notoriety or her financial means…they have a terrible time of it, and they don’t get the exposure they deserve.”
Furthermore, society saw an opportunity to capitalize on this story: a former male Olympic champion transitioning can make a lot of money in the media. And so society took this concept and ran, creating a viable platform on which people could speak about the issues, but also clouding them with superficially staged shows portraying less than realistic experiences.
There are six shows surrounding the issues of transgender people on television. Actresses like Laverne Cox have been able to speak out about important topics because of this new platform on which transgender people can speak. We as a society think that because we are now allowing for shows to cover these issues that we have done our part, but there are much larger issues at hand.
One of the larger issues is the devastating violence against transgender people. Sexual and aggravated attacks are all too common, and the article Violence Against Transgender People: A Review of United States Data explains “about 50 percent of transgendered persons report unwanted sexual activity.” This number is too large, and needs to be addressed. Violence against innocent people trying to live authentic lives needs to stop.
This cannot be done, however, without the conversation being shifted away from the superficial layers of staged television and towards things like HERO. Discussing the more pressing issues at hand can help this group immensely.