Transgendered in Education
Transgendered Youth

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Frequently Asked Questions About Transgendered Youth

1: What does it mean to be transgendered? Transgendered people are individuals of any age or sex who manifest characteristics, behaviors or self-expression, which in their own or someone else's perception, is typical of or commonly associated with persons of another gender.

2: Are there different types of transgendered people? Transgendered persons include pre-operative and post-operative transsexuals; transgenderists (persons living full-time in a gender opposite their birth sex with no desire to pursue surgery); transvestites (preferred term: cross-dressers, those whose gender expression occasionally differs from their birth sex); "mannish" or "passing" women, whose gender expression is masculine and who are often assumed to be lesbians, though this is not necessarily the case. Transsexual and transgenderist persons can be female-to-male (transsexual or transgendered men) as well as male-to-female (transsexual or transgendered women).

3. What causes a person to be transgendered? No definite answer can be offered to this question. Research suggests there is a biological basis for transgendered behavior but to what degree is unknown. Transgendered people manifest their condition at different stages in their lives ranging from infancy to old age. This leads to the observation that biology creates a capacity while nurture and individual choice may retard or accelerate the emergence or degree of transgendered behavior.

4. Can transgendered people be treated or cured? There is no known cure or course of treatment which reverses the transgendered person's manifestation of the characteristics and behaviors of another gender. Transgendered people have at times been subjected to electric shock therapy, aversion therapy (applying physical pain to condition response), drug therapy and other procedures. None of these "cures" have succeeded. Many such "cures" have been painful and dehumanizing for the victims. While there is no cure for transgendered persons, many transsexuals can benefit from counseling with mental health professionals with training and experience in gender identity issues. Professional counselors can help individuals and their families evaluate their situation and provide important support and education for individuals undergoing gender transition.

5. Is transgendered behavior sinful and against the teachings of the Bible? An isolated passage in the Book of Deuteronomy (22:5) reads: "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God." This passage is part of what biblical scholars refer to as the Hebrew Purity Code, a system of rules for social behavior and dietary consumption intended to "purify" the body and spirit in God's eyes. In the broader context of the Purity Code this is a minor passage which is accompanied by prohibitions against intercourse with a menstruating woman, wearing clothing made of mixed fibers, sacrificing a blemished animal and remarrying a former wife. Taken together the prohibitions of the Purity Code amount to arbitrary cultural taboos as contrasted with the more profound precepts of the Ten Commandments. Biblical scholars and theologians warn of the danger of selective interpretation of the Bible in a way which upholds some passages while ignoring others and overlooking the broader context. Other authors point out that what "pertaineth unto a man" and what garments "pertain to women" have undergone continual change throughout history. Judged strictly by Hebrew standards the entirety of modern civilization would appear to violate the Purity Code.

6. Are transgendered people gay? Most transgendered persons identify themselves as heterosexual. Their intrinsic difference is their gender identity, not their sexual orientation: these are two different things altogether. However, transgendered people are perceived by most people as homosexuals, and thus are discriminated against in similar ways.

7. How are Transgendered People Discriminated Against? Like gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, transgendered people face employment and housing discrimination. They are also denied public accommodations and access to health care for their medical conditions. They are also potential targets for hate crimes: verbal harassment, hate mail, harassing telephone calls and acts of violence committed by the same persons who hate homosexuals and bisexuals. But unlike gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, transgendered people are much more likely to fall victim to discrimination and hate crimes, because most of them possess physical or behavioral characteristics that readily identify them as transgendered.

8. Are there differences between crossdressers and transsexuals? The largest subgroup of transgendered persons are crossdressers who are mainly heterosexual men, although there are also women who crossdress. Apart from their occasional crossdressing, they lead lives that are quite ordinary in all other respects. Most crossdressers are married and many have children, so they have much to lose from their transgendered state being revealed. They also wish to remain in the sex they were born, unlike transsexuals.

8.Why do they feel that way? The overall psychological term is called gender dysphoria, an intense feeling of pain, anguish, and anxiety from the mis-assignment of a transgendered person's sex at birth. All transgendered people suffer from it, but the feeling becomes more acute for transsexuals and transgenderists, usually in the middle of their lives. These feelings lead many transgendered people into depression, anxiety, chemical dependencies, divorces and other family problems, even suicide. In order to seek relief from their gender dysphoria, transsexual and transgenderist persons transition, or to begin living their lives in their true genders, which are opposite their birth sexes. This means they literally must "out" themselves to their employers, their families, their friends, everyone.

10: How can I help support the transgendered person in my family? First, offer your family member your unconditional love and support. Secondly, educate yourself about transgenderism and transgendered people and their concerns. Thirdly, help your loved one educate and "come out" to other family members and friends who will be supportive.

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Click on the following links to find more information on Transgendered Youth:

Teen Transsexuals

Gender Identity Issues in Children & Adolescents

PFLAG Transgender Network

Media Guide: Some Basic Guidelines When Covering Transgendered Individuals in Stories

1. Outing: Remember that any reporting of the transgendered status of any transgendered person without his or her expressed permission is outing that person, and has the equivalent potential for harming that person as does outing a gay man, lesbian or bisexual man or woman. Outing is Invasion of Privacy.

2. Full-time Living Status: If a transgendered person is living fill-time in the gender opposite their birth sex (i.e, a "man" living as a woman or a "woman" living as a man) prior to or without sex reassignment surgery, that person should be referred to at all times with terms appropriate to their current gender. Usage tips: "Transgendered Woman" is appropriate for male-to-female persons. "Transgendered Man" is appropriate for female-to-male persons. "Transgendered Person" is appropriate for both types of the above.

3. Part-time Status: If a transgendered person is not living full-time, they may intend to do so the future. Do not assume that a cross-dressed person is a "transvestite", someone who engages in cross-dressing only occasionally. Usage Tips: Instead of "transvestite", the preferred term is crossdresser. "Male Crossdresser" or "Female Crossdresser" are appropriate for these persons only if it is clear they do not live full-time nor intend to. (see #7).

4. Surgical Status: Generally speaking, if a male-to-female or a female-to-male transsexual has had sex reassignment surgery, the appropriate terms are "Transsexual Woman" or "Transsexual Man". However, almost all post-operative transsexuals are extremely sensitive about their transsexual status. This information should be considered confidential and should never be used in a story without their clearly given prior consent. (see #1)

5.Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives: To refer to transgendered persons using pronouns and possessive adjectives appropriate to their birth sex (i.e, "he" or "his" for male-to-female persons, "she" or "her" for female-to-male persons) is equivalent to calling a gay man "faggot" or a lesbian "dyke". It is extremely offensive. Usage tip: At all times, use pronouns and possessive appropriate to a transgendered persons current gender status or gender expression.

6.Avoid Aspersion by Using Quotation Marks: Never put the appropriate pronouns or possessives in quotes. Never put the sexual orientations or genitalia of transgendered persons in quotes.

7.Self-Identification: Ask an individual transgendered person how they wish to be identified. We all like to describe ourselves differently, and some variance in terminology is to be expected. Self-identification is an important right. When in doubt, just ask.


From the PFLAG-Talk/TGS-PFLAG Virtual Library -- http://www.critpath.org/pflag-talk/library.html