(Note: In Jenner’s interview with Diane Sawyer, Jenner indicated that he/him pronouns were appropriate for discussing the interview and as he says “she” has not been revealed yet, the he/him pronouns will be used for the purposes of this article when necessary. Jenner has not yet revealed his new name or if he will change it, and so will be referred to simply as “Jenner.”)
Between actress Laverne Cox’s portrayal of a transgender woman on the hit Netflix show, Orange is the New Black, to Jenner revealing his plans to transition to Diane Sawyer, to 14-year old Jazz Jennings becoming the first transgender spokesperson for Clean & Clear, transgendered individuals are gaining more and more visibility. However, there is still a lot of confusion about what it means to be transgender and why this visibility is so important.
A person who is transgender is someone who identifies as a gender that is different than the one they were assigned at birth. This is different from someone who is intersex, which means their biological sex isn’t clearly male or female.
Both of these identities are separate from sexuality; sexuality is who you are attracted to. For example, a transgender woman who is attracted to other women is a lesbian. The concepts of gender identity and sexuality are not linked.
In his interview, Jenner said, “There’s two different things here. Sexuality is who you personally are attracted to—who turns you on—male or female. But gender identity has to do with who you are as a person and your soul, and who you identify with inside, okay?”
He also clarifies that it’s not necessarily correct to claim that a transgendered person is “stuck” in someone else’s body. “Let’s give him the soul of a female and see how he deals with that…I’m not stuck in anybody’s body. I’m just who I am as a human being.”
In her interview with TIME, Laverne Cox warned against lumping all transgender people together and expecting them to have all had the same problems. “There’s not just one trans story. There’s not just one trans experience.”
With 37 states now allowing same-sex marriage, many, including Vice President Joe Biden, consider transgender discrimination to be the next civil rights movement. Transgender people face a lot of challenges; in 32 states, it’s legal to be fired purely on the basis of being transgender. Additionally, transwomen (and especially transwomen of color) are far more likely to face assault and even murder than nearly any other minority group.These all contribute to a much higher than average rate of suicide attempts amongst transgender people: about 41% compared to 1.6%.
This is why visibility is so important; by educating people and raising awareness, we can better address the problems faced by transgender people.
If you are transgendered and looking for on-campus resources, please contact the Gender Relations Center, St. Liam’s Counseling Center, or PrismND.
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