Topic: Why are the transgendered taboo? Why they are looked down upon?
The 1×6 group is ABrownGirl, Aricia, BWABW, GlennishaMorgan, SteadyCat, and StudWithSwag, who come together every other Wednesday to answer one question(s).
To 1×6: Keep it clean even if you strongly disagree. I don’t won’t any blood on my SoapBox. 
Viewer comments are welcomed.
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ABrownGirl: I believe that most people don’t understand what it means to be transgendered. I cannot imagine what it’s like to be inside a body that I hated. A body that I felt did not truly represent who I am. A body that made society believe something about me that wasn’t actually true.
The majority of the transgendered community suffers with Gender Identity Disorder. Yes, it is a mental condition, just like being bi-polar. It’s not a lifestyle they have chosen, just like no one chose to be gay.
It’s not something many people talk about, including those that suffer with the disorder. Quite possibly it is because we don’t know enough to really have an intelligent discussion. The pyschological community isn’t really talking about the results of their research. We don’t hear much in the news about transgendered rights. And often times is hard to even spot a transgendered person.
I think the transgendered community is looked down upon because there are people out there that don’t understand them. There are people that believe they are being deceived if they are being involved in a romantic relationship with a transgendered individual. There are other people that don’t understand that it can be more complicated than a man simply putting on a dress.
While I’ve seen TransAmerica and Boy’s Don’t Cry, I didn’t truly understand what it meant to be transgendered until I met someone who was transgendered. That’s when it becomes real…
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Aricia: On this topic, I must say I’m a little disgusted. Although I’ve never understood the whole “I’m a woman trapped in a man’s body” mantra I don’t feel like its right for others to knock it. It all comes down to personal preference to me.
How can people who are discriminated against for sleeping with the same sex then turn and dislike the transgendered? That’s jus absurd to me. I don’t personally feel like I was born the wrong sex, but I sympathize with those that do. Who the hell is perfect enough to knock someone elses choices??
I think they’re taboo because people are jus haters and love to pick out the flaws in others. If people want to change their sex and it ultimately makes them happy I say more power to them.
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BWABW: People who look down on transgender individuals generally equate sex with gender when one is biological and the other is a social construction. My understanding of transgender people is that one’s sex does not align with one’s gender identity. Those who choose to transition and get gender reassignment surgery are aligning the physical with the psychological, emotional, spiritual, etc. A lot of the discrimination (and often times disgust) directed towards trans people comes from a place of ignorance. People fear what they don’t understand. They want things to fit neatly into a box. So a person with muscular legs, broad shoulders, and a five o’clock shadow in a dress is labeled “freaky” or “gross.” I won’t pretend to completely understand trans identity, but I completely respect others’ right to pursue a happy, healthy life. I used to question if being transgender is a “disorder” (many people do refer to it as this) and still wonder if it is society’s emphasis on genitalia (I mean, the first thing we scream when a baby is born is “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!”) that pressures people who don’t identify as male or female to conform physically to what that societal prescriptions say a male and female should look/walk/sound like. If being born with a penis or a pussy was just as important/unimportant as being born with attached or unattached earlobes, then would transgender identities even exist? Or what if there was no such thing as masculine or feminine…would the physical still not align with the mental/emotional/spiritual/etc.? This is by no means an effort to trivialize trans identity or say that it is only mental. It’s me seeking a deeper understanding. Then again, there are stories of men and women who felt they were in the “wrong” body from childhood—way before gender norms have really begun to set in.
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Glennisha Morgan: To be honest I don’t think I can pinpoint exactly why the transgendered are taboo and looked down upon but, I have an idea.The transgendered as well as everyone else who is a part of the LGBT community are looked down upon because they’re misunderstood and or not understood at all. I think out of everyone the transgendered are probably the most misunderstood.I think where the most confusion takes place is when transgendered are post-op and they date someone of the sex that they turned into.
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StudWithSwag: The transgendered are taboo because they deviate from the “normalcy” that gays and lesbians have been trying to project. They do not adhere to the norms of homosexuality, bisexuality, or heterosexuality because they have an actual diagnosed condition that they may or may not get medically corrected at some point in life. Homosexuality was once diagnosed in the DSM as a disorder as well, but it is no longer, however transgender remains a medical disorder and condition. Those affected believe there is something wrong with their gender, which includes their sexuality and this viewpoint is in stark contrast to what most homosexuals believe. After the surgery, they can finally be comfortable in their own body and live their lives as straight, gay or bisexual. Many change their names and can get legally married in most states. I believe the taboo is that they are considered odd by society because they are so uncomfortable in their own skin that they will willingly undergo a transformation. Most people can’t understand this, yet gays are still inclusive because they are similar to us in their sexual orientations. A lot of times they are involved in same sex relationships prior to or after a change, so this is considered strange by society as well. It’s a physical difference compared to a sexual one and they have a hard enough time trying to accept homosexuality.
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SteadyCat: When I was around ten and visiting cousins that lived in Florida, our group of girls and boys from the neighborhood went walking. Further up the road, a boy about fifteen had on hot pants, a short shirt so that his midriff was revealed and make up. That is exactly how many teen girls dressed at the time. My older male cousin (Richard) and his friends picked up bricks and started throwing. When the largest brick barely missed the boy’s head, he took off running and screaming. Everyone in the group laughed but me. Richard is now a minister in his own church.
Churches, schools, families, entertainment and politics have taught a model that they claim reflects morality/Godliness. It must have a man as head of a household, a woman as his helper and hordes of children. He has both sex and power over. The model we’re being indoctrinated with is patriarchy at its finest. According to dictionary.com, patriarchy’s chief institution is the family. It is both a mirror of and a connection with the larger society; a patriarchal unit within a patriarchal whole.
In church I was taught that the immoral/ungodly must be eradicated or Satan would take over. Gays are thought to fit this picture of ungodliness but the transgendered person becomes an even bigger target. (Unless they have sneaked into the club without being noticed. In that case, they get perks). The correction for the simple minded becomes – in order to save God, my family and my status – I must destroy the ungodly.
Ask your church going family, friends and politicians what they think about the transgendered and why. Ask the relative that watches televangelist programming what they think about the transgendered and why. It will probably all boil down to the myth of the ungodly. Patriarchy depends on it.
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The next 1×6 will be held on May 13 at Aricia,
The Question: What do you think about corrective rape in South Africa and its human rights consequences?
Thank you for stopping by SteadyCat’s SoapBox and checking out 1×6.
April 29, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I think that the “B” and “T” in LGBT are still not as recognised as the Lesbian and Gay part. Historically it was all about L & G and now we’re incorporating bisexual and transgender individuals into it and soem people are still stuck in 1973.
There’s still a great deal of prejudice even amongst our own “community”
I think it’s about education, breaking down barriers and stereotypes. Headway is being made but it’s not enough.
People need to know about gender fluidity, what being “qeer” means and how it’s not a crime to go from maybe being hetro to gay to queeror female bodied to male bodied.
It seems to be that being FTM or MTF is not just about changing physical body parts. It’s about who you are inside, your perception of yourself, which doesn’t fit with what other people see on the outside. However it’s a unique thing to each individual. Many FTMs don’t transition and some only partly transition.
There is also the fact that even though they may pass as being male on the outside, they have an experience of growing up as female and all theroblems and issues that may throw up.
Hopefully it’d make for a softer male than the Alpha stereotype but then again maybe over compensation might occur in a desperate bid to be mach, male, boyish and all those things our society seems to celebrate about maleness.
Just some thoughts…
April 29, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Because they are seen as freaks by society and anyone who goes against the grain and aren’t NORMAL (whatever that may be ) , anything that makes a person uncomfortable must be un-natural and wrong. Blinkered vision and not open to being educated.
<< Transfriendly.
Hey, Stevie. *waves*
April 29, 2009 at 1:11 pm
[...] 1×6: Why are the transgendered taboo? Every other Wednesday, 6 very different bloggers will come together to answer a single question. Check out the latest 1 x 6 Roundtable discussion at SteadyCat’s blog. [...]
April 29, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Hello Everyone,
I think that for some in the LGBT community discriminating against Transpersons makes them feel superior. It’s common in groups for some to try to develop a pecking order and in the LGBT community there is a definite pecking order, Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and then Transpersons.
And when the hatred comes from the str8 community I think it has to do with simple ignorance. Most people don’t even know the difference between and Transperson and a drag queen. They don’t get that Transpeople suffer from a disorder (as BWABW alluded to) called Gender Dysphoria.
As I’m sure most will agree many people who are ignorant about something will attack rather than to admit ignorance and try to gain understanding.
April 29, 2009 at 3:20 pm
[...] 2009 April 29 tags: LGBT, transgendered by glennishamorgan The 2nd roundtable is up. Check it out over @ Steady Cat’s [...]
April 29, 2009 at 7:06 pm
1×6: Why are the transgendered taboo?…
It’s that time of the week. Check out the latest 1 x 6 roundtable discussion at SteadyCat’s blog for answers to this question and more. Your comments and input are welcome and appreciated.
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April 29, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Question, if a couple are married with two young children, and the male want to change his sex and become a woman, should they remain husband and wife or can the wife add a male partner as the new husband?
James, I suppose you and your wife will have to decide the personal aspects of your own life. Cheers.
April 29, 2009 at 10:51 pm
The transgendered are a taboo because being around or talking about transgendered people is sometimes hard to fathom. When most hetero and probably gay people hear the word ‘transgender’ they would most likey equaite that to decpetion. Decpetion because they feel transgenders are are turning their back on their orginal gender, lying to their lover, lying to society, making society think that they can live as the other sex. Overall, being transgendered is a hard concept to understand and take seriously, butht hrough tolerance people can become comfortable with the word ‘trasngender’. Though I cannot relate, I respect a transgeder’s decision. Do what needs to be done in order to be happy. It is what it is; that’s how they feel and we-society has to amke a way or find one to accept it. If I happen to be in a relationship with a transgendered person, the least they could do is tell that they’re trans. Trust is key in a relationship, right?
April 30, 2009 at 2:01 am
It occurs to me that I’ll never really understand why some people opt to change genders. I’ve been hearing the “I feel like a man on the inside” story for years. But having encountered various individuals who idenfity as transman or transwoman on the ball scene, I’m finding that underlying motives for gender change vary staunchly from the typical reasoning. More often than not, I’ve come across individuals who once identified as female who now identify as male and all this comes as a result of wanting to win certain transgendered categories in the scene. I’m not exactly sure I can be an advocate of altering ones body for a cash prize or trophy. Yet I find that it’s a disturbing trend developing here on the east coast. So no I’m not necessarily biased against people with gender disorder. However, I am biased against individuals who make a mockery of it just to win cash.
@meshia – I think what you’ve brought up needs to be discussed as well as views that (some) feminists have taken on transgender issues. That is a topic that will take far longer than the 300 words I was alloted. Either way, I believe that all people have the right to be treated with dignity and accord by others.
April 30, 2009 at 3:41 am
It’s great that most people’s comments are so supportive of transgendered people. I wonder how many people would willingly date a transgendered person. I wonder if that’s a fair assessment at all of how truly supportive and accepting people are.
I know a lot of people that are all for gay rights but as soon as it’s their daughter or their best friend…all that goes out the window.
If you met someone, fell in love maybe or simply befriended them, would you still pursue a relationship with them after you found out they identified as transgender?
I’ve heard people who are all gung ho for transgendered people being accepted in our community but then respond “ew” when I ask if they would date a transgendered person, especially someone who has transitioned. Some can chalk it up to be a personal preference, but a personal preference for what exactly? And a response like “ew” is clearly discriminatory.
April 30, 2009 at 4:31 am
I’m a woman who love women, and for some reason, that makes some people try to look down on me. I don’t look down upon anyone, unless they are shorter than I am, (or under me –sorry — not). People get nose jobs, false teeth, breast implants and wear wigs to alter their outer appearance so they will physically look the way they want others to see them. I don’t see the difference just because someone has additional hormones added to their bodies and certain parts removed so that they will appear not only the way they want others to see them, but most importantly — to physically appear the way they feel about themselves.
I like learning and what better way to learn than directly from someone who can give me first hand information. I met Leece, a transsexual lesbian, at a message board and she permitted me to publish on my blog something that she had written.
http://saltyspoetictales-salty.blogspot.com/2009/04/about-lesbian-transsexuals-by-leece.html
April 30, 2009 at 5:42 am
I guess in order to have my comment remain posted. I’ll agree with the masses and say that I don’t think it’s right to discriminate against transgendered individuals. Although I thought the question posed was “why are the transgendered taboo?” In my prior answer I mentioned that this could be because there are some individuals who make these life altering changes but not within good reason. I have friends who take “t” simply because they need to acheive that more masculine look for the drag shows they compete in. Not necessarily because they feel like men on the inside. So there are times that I’ll question it. However, if indeed it’s a matter of gender disorder or the need to identify as the opposite sex, then that’s more than fathomable.
April 30, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I don’t understand the transgendered simply because I have never felt like I wasn’t in the right body…but I can imagine that it’s an awful feeling. I agree that as gays and lesbians we try to fit into society, we try to be as normal as possible and if that mean’s distances ourselves from the “T” in LGBT then that’s what some people choose to do.
It hard enough being a black lesbian…a triple minority. so for me, I haven’t really been overly concerned about transgendered issues. i’m not saying that I am right, but that’s just how it is.
being transgendered goes against EVERYTHING religion teaches…plus people who love labels really have no “bucket” to put them in, so naturally, they reject it. if they can’t find a fit for it in their small minds, then the reaction is to cast it down and call it immoral, against God, etc…
While I don’t know anyone who is trans personally, I should probably seek to learn more just to get a better understanding of what issues they face. I think that is only fair, since I would feel good if a straight person who may not understand me being gay, would take the time to seek understanding and not just flat out reject me or throw the Bible at me.
May 2, 2009 at 2:58 am
Personally, I think there are a multitude of reasons our Transgendered citizens are looked upon and treated less that justly…as they deserve.
I have a transgendered cousin. (Born Male…now female). The pain of abandonment, etc that she experienced for as long as I can remember is beyond unfair. The door to family relationships was slammed shut…all because she desired to live truth as she knew it. I am grateful that she was able to find true love and happiness. She and her mate have been together well over 20 years.
Yet, I must say the discrimination and ridicule that they still experience at the hands of those that act so superior is disgusting. I wish that everyone that has such an arrogant attitude could (even for ONE day) experience what they live through on a daily basis. I think things would change rapidly.
Unfortunately, those with such attitudes I doubt care about anyone but themselves. They certainly don’t take the time to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. (If they did…they’d have to take responsiblity for their actions and attitudes)
Michelle
Hi Michelle. You’re right. Most people only want to see things from their own point of view. Thankfully, my mother insisted that her children treat people as they themselves would want to be treated – even if they don’t like them. If I find someone distasteful, (yes, even me) I will still offer at least common courtesy and basic decency. To do otherwise is not right – but is the norm, in our culture. I’m glad your cousin is in a loving relationship and very sorry that her family of origin has been the cause of much of her pain. The fact that you love and support your cousin again shows the type person that you are. I’m proud to call you a friend.
May 3, 2009 at 7:24 am
ABrownGirl really almost says it in her opening paragraph. I think many, if not all of us, have at some point hated our bodies and have tried, through clothes, make up, contact lenses, plastic surgery, etc, to make society believe something that isn’t actually true.
I agree with many on this forum, that it probably makes people feel deceived and confused; and that a warped religious and moral sense of superiority makes Botox ok, but the transgendered not.
I find it understandable that not everyone might want to date a transgendered person. I do not understand discrimination or violent hate crimes.
Ultimately, shouldn’t the question be: Why are so many so comfortable treating some with less respect and common decency than others?
Thanks for coming by, Kims. ABrownGirl does indeed speak it. “-) I agree with the ultimate question that you’ve asked. Perhaps respect and common decency should be taught in schools instead of waiting for that value to show up in families and religious organizations.
May 6, 2009 at 9:53 pm
First, let me say you’ve got an interesting blog, addressing crucial points, generating thoughtful discussion.
This particular posting and some of the comments create a certain issue for me, and that is I feel anything related to “transgendered” is not an issue which should be specific to the gay/lesbian community. It suggests that transgendered are “homosexually oriented”, and I believe that sort of thinking falls in the same category of ignorance that applies to all thinking of discriminatory behavior. Our body types do not determine our sexualities.
I am not thrilled with the idea that people are labeled based on their sexual orientation, but when referring to transgendered and homosexuality, we are actually referring to two different things. It’s comparing apples to oranges … having a sexual orientation is not the same thing as not being comfortable with the bodies in which we are born.
We’d be more accurate to categorize transgendered with the obese … both have issues with their bodies, and in both cases surgery is sometimes an option.
In simplest terms, I can’t change my sexuality, but I can change my appearance, and for me, the answer to why is “transgendered taboo” is directly related to those who make it taboo. And since it is “society” that determines what is and isn’t taboo, and we live in societies that deal with difference as something to be feared, thus provoking hate, it’s obvious that the answer is “transgendered is taboo” because of its difference.
Hi krywolf. *waves* Being different seems to always bring up everybody’s issues. I’m glad you came by again. Cheers.