How America has the Trans Community Fucked Up

Topics of trans rights, visibility, awareness, and acceptance have been taking societies by storm over the past couple of years. The thought process of identifying who we are, how we are perceived, and the truths that come with accepting who you are can be grueling and exhausting. The presence of trans individuals is nothing new, but the rhetoric surrounding the community makes it seem as though a new phenomenon is amongst us—that’s totally not the case. Trans people of all backgrounds have staked a place in modern society as they have done in the past. However, there are many issues that still remain unaddressed in regard to the trans community and how societies treat, view, and regard their existence. Let’s discuss 5 areas we have the transgender issue all fucked up.

Sex in the Trans Community

People are always sexualizing the Trans community. Due to the hypersexualization of their persona, we are geared to only see them as object of sexual deviation. For many, the transgender community is a symbol of sex work. Historically, transgender people have been stereotypically labeled as prostitutes and escorts (although there is a viable market for transgender women.) Transgender people are humans like the rest of us. They work. They party. They love. They have passions. They have interests and hobbies. They are human. It’s time that we stop looking to the trans community for after dark play and realize that they are humans with real expectations for their love lives other than being objects of a private fantasy. Sex with transgendered individuals doesn’t have to be so taboo as it works in the same ways other non-heteronormative couples work. They’re versatile and able to serve multiple desires at once, but outside of the bedroom there is usually a rambunctious and exciting personality waiting to be unraveled—you just have to take time and uncover their minds as you rush to do their bodies.

Representations on TV

Most of our feelings about groups outside of our own come from what we consume through various mass mediums such as TV, film, books, and magazines to name a few. There are many dangers that come with using these methods to shape our views and perceptions of people as they typically don’t do their due just in giving people fair and adequate representation. We have seen these for decades with gay and African American depictions on TV. If you don’t have these people in your life then you probably won’t have a personal frame of reference to analyze the fallacies in TV representations. Trans people are experiencing this now more than ever. Laverne Cox and Amiyah Scott are great, top leading representations of trans people in mass media. Starring in hit TV series and showing the complexities of trans existence is everything that the community needs to break the stigma and hatred shown towards them. Pose on FX is working to highlight the various aspects of the ballroom scene and personal lives of trans individuals in a manner that is raw, real, and reminiscent of the struggles they voice daily. Platforms such as Gayhub also help with representation by bringing you content from the likes of Ongina, Cassandra Cass, and Maria Roman. As someone who works in the field of TV and film and also identifies with two marginalized groups (gay and black), I find it so important to depict everyone in a light that doesn’t box them into stereotypical characters, but in a light that will help someone see the true experience of the people who identify. Media plays an incremental role in how we develop our feelings and it is deadly to uphold the barriers that are present for underrepresented and marginalized groups.

Politics—Bathroom, Boardroom, Bedroom

It’s no secret that we all live under the same political umbrella, but the umbrella doesn’t always keep us equally dry from the storm. Over the past couple of years we have seen a lot of progression in the acceptance and awareness of trans issues, but a major barrier in the way of finding a common ground is the dirty game of American politics. Though we all vote for people who will uphold the moral fiber of the union, some of us seem to always get left on the backburners of justice and equality. We have seen legislation stop transgender people from using the restrooms in alignment with their identity, bills that uphold the right to segregate based on orientation, and laws that vilify the right to love and live the way they desire. It’s disgusting to pledge allegiance to a country that has no allegiance to you. It seems that everyone in politics has the trans community fucked up, but with resiliency, righteousness, and a raw unbreakable spirit they continue to persevere and remind us they aren’t going anywhere. That is admirable in itself! Politics seem to serve the self-interests of those in power, but we are on the horizon of a new day and time where we will all have our voices heard at the highest level as they have been, but followed with results! It’s time that our government reflects the majority of us who are progressive and living life on our own terms. To hell with norms—let’s fight for dignity and respect for all.

Discriminatory History and Present

The amount of senseless crimes committed against the transgender community is sickening. So far in 2018, there have been 15 senseless deaths (not including suicide.) People who shape their ideas from media on trans people have a predisposition to treat them as though they’re inferior or have no right to live. The reality is that transgender people live daily in fear of their lives and we should be doing more to curtail these incidents from happening. Workplace and housing discrimination all stem from the same hateful place that has left trans people in the darkness and resorting to the stereotypical lifestyles we see portrayed. Often times we like to assess the effect and judge it, but rarely do people seem to want to seek out the root cause of the problem. No one should live in daily fear of their life for simply living how they want. We all have the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, until you identify with anything that isn’t part of the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy that upholds privilege based on status, race, and gender. It’s 2018 and there is no reason we haven’t overcome this archaic and antiquated way of thinking that those who are different deserve a miniscule quality of life. Let’s fight to change this!

To anyone who is trans and facing these obstacles, I encourage you to keep fighting for the right to exist. Don’t let anyone who comes to persecute you for your truths succeed. Fight until the death, and after that may your spirit resonate so deeply that the chills from its presence force a change to come about. There is plenty of work to be done, but it is imperative that we all stand up for one another and make sure that we push the envelope of justice for all those who are on the wrong side of the protections set up by this union. We are all human and we all deserve the unalienable right to protections allotted by the law and the right to do whatever makes us fucking happy. Anyone who doesn’t agree— YOU GOT US FUCKED UP.