Some people are debating this question:
That depends on the segment of the transgender population you are referring to. As my friend, Nikki, has pointed out, lack of self-confidence, finances, emotional and familial support plague the transsexual community. The greatest threat to many of our transsexual brothers and sisters are themselves. Homeless shelters are still a problem, as well as being able to establish new relationships, knowing when it's appropriate to reveal themselves and how long before it is considered being deceitful. Most of the external problems outside of this are maintaining the right to self identify their own gender, despite attacks from feminist separatists, conservative religious organizations and their adherents, people who feel that transsexuals "fake it" to steal available mates, and misunderstanding within some members of the gay and lesbian communities. If one's spirituality is not transformed to account for reality, that is often sacrificed. Too often, many valuable connections and their employment history are unnecessarily sacrificed in order for transsexual people to finally be themselves. Knowledgeable medical care is often difficult too find. Medical issues sometimes occur because of long-term hormone use, and ignorance abounds in the community about those effects.
People who live their lives in two genders have different issues to face. Most of their threats are external to them: e.g., loss of jobs and friends if found out. Typically, they have less of a chance of losing one's spouse than someone "going all the way." Their main concerns are that their secret life stay secret.
Then there are the gender queer, formerly referred to as androgynous or questioning, who feel they don't fit in either gender, and have difficulties expressing themselves in public without castigation, who struggle over which gender to put on forms, because they know they are bound to not be presenting as that gender.
Don't forget the intersex community who significantly overlap in all of the above categories.
There is no single greatest threat to the entire community, unless you say society. But that is too broad a topic, as you can't get rid of society or fix so many problems overnight.
There is no magic bullet. If you instead identify a problem to address in each category, you will find the right combination of problems to address to provide support to the community at large.
Hugs and Blessings,
- Sophie
What do you see as the number one issue the transgender community needs to resolve?
That depends on the segment of the transgender population you are referring to. As my friend, Nikki, has pointed out, lack of self-confidence, finances, emotional and familial support plague the transsexual community. The greatest threat to many of our transsexual brothers and sisters are themselves. Homeless shelters are still a problem, as well as being able to establish new relationships, knowing when it's appropriate to reveal themselves and how long before it is considered being deceitful. Most of the external problems outside of this are maintaining the right to self identify their own gender, despite attacks from feminist separatists, conservative religious organizations and their adherents, people who feel that transsexuals "fake it" to steal available mates, and misunderstanding within some members of the gay and lesbian communities. If one's spirituality is not transformed to account for reality, that is often sacrificed. Too often, many valuable connections and their employment history are unnecessarily sacrificed in order for transsexual people to finally be themselves. Knowledgeable medical care is often difficult too find. Medical issues sometimes occur because of long-term hormone use, and ignorance abounds in the community about those effects.
People who live their lives in two genders have different issues to face. Most of their threats are external to them: e.g., loss of jobs and friends if found out. Typically, they have less of a chance of losing one's spouse than someone "going all the way." Their main concerns are that their secret life stay secret.
Then there are the gender queer, formerly referred to as androgynous or questioning, who feel they don't fit in either gender, and have difficulties expressing themselves in public without castigation, who struggle over which gender to put on forms, because they know they are bound to not be presenting as that gender.
Don't forget the intersex community who significantly overlap in all of the above categories.
There is no single greatest threat to the entire community, unless you say society. But that is too broad a topic, as you can't get rid of society or fix so many problems overnight.
There is no magic bullet. If you instead identify a problem to address in each category, you will find the right combination of problems to address to provide support to the community at large.
Hugs and Blessings,
- Sophie
Excellent choice of descriptions. And what the issues you have laid out so difficult to follow is that each person's hierarchy of needs are different. So you really can't say follow these steps, resolve these issues in this particular order. We must create our own hierarchy of issues to be resolved and we must always re-evaluate and adjust our plan of attack to sustain our transition.
ReplyDelete