Thursday, June 10, 2010 11:30am
Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals often bemoan the stigmas and stereotypes attached to them. As activists, many of us spend our entire lives trying to get our hetero-normative counterparts to see us as people and not as media portrayals/spiritually wayward vessels of corruption, but what we experience pales in comparison to the kind of marginalization and harmful stereotypes that are thrust upon the transgender community.
While I could easily write an entire post on the effects of transphobia and the importance of transgender revolution, this is pride month, and I'm writing upper posts this month ;-). One of the most problematic ways that we think about the transgender community is in terms of the operation (generally post/pre-op). This is so problematic since it assumes that all transgenders want to undergo surgery, which is not always the case. Some are content simply to undergo hormone therapy, and others still are content simply knowing that their physical appearance doesn't match, who they are on the inside (never mind all the places in between).
There are many people--gay, straight, and otherwise--who just don't get it, but thankfully someone in the State Department does. The State Department waited until National Pride Month to announce its new passport policy. In order to get your gender to accurately reflect yourself, you simply need documentation stating that you have undergone appropriate treatment for Gender Dysphoric Disorder (GDD), and appropriate treatment does not mean surgery.
These guideline were suggested by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). For more information read this story.
Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals often bemoan the stigmas and stereotypes attached to them. As activists, many of us spend our entire lives trying to get our hetero-normative counterparts to see us as people and not as media portrayals/spiritually wayward vessels of corruption, but what we experience pales in comparison to the kind of marginalization and harmful stereotypes that are thrust upon the transgender community.
While I could easily write an entire post on the effects of transphobia and the importance of transgender revolution, this is pride month, and I'm writing upper posts this month ;-). One of the most problematic ways that we think about the transgender community is in terms of the operation (generally post/pre-op). This is so problematic since it assumes that all transgenders want to undergo surgery, which is not always the case. Some are content simply to undergo hormone therapy, and others still are content simply knowing that their physical appearance doesn't match, who they are on the inside (never mind all the places in between).
There are many people--gay, straight, and otherwise--who just don't get it, but thankfully someone in the State Department does. The State Department waited until National Pride Month to announce its new passport policy. In order to get your gender to accurately reflect yourself, you simply need documentation stating that you have undergone appropriate treatment for Gender Dysphoric Disorder (GDD), and appropriate treatment does not mean surgery.
These guideline were suggested by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). For more information read this story.
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