Transgenderism
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Definition: of, relating to, or being a person who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person's sex at birth. (According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary)
Definition: Someone who is gender identification differs from that of their birth sex. (Personal Definition)
Transgender Man: FTM (Female to Male), A person born with female anatomy, but is transitioning/has transitioned to the male gender.
Transgender Woman: MTF (Male to Female), A person born with male anatomy, but is transitioning/has transitioned to the male gender.
Definition: Someone who is gender identification differs from that of their birth sex. (Personal Definition)
Transgender Man: FTM (Female to Male), A person born with female anatomy, but is transitioning/has transitioned to the male gender.
Transgender Woman: MTF (Male to Female), A person born with male anatomy, but is transitioning/has transitioned to the male gender.
Planet Fitness of Midland, Michigan
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On February 28, 2015 at the Planet Fitness in Midland, Michigan, transgender member, Carlotta Sklodowska used the woman's locker room. No big deal right? Well, to Yvette Cormier it was a big deal. On the date that Sklodowska used the locker room, Cormier went to the gyms management and reported that ¨a man was using the women's locker room. When the management informed Cormier that Sklodowska was a transgender woman and that it was fully within her rights to use which ever locker room corresponded with her gender, covered under the Planet Fitness ¨No Judgment¨ policy, Comier did not seem pleased. For the next few days, Cormier told all the other female gym members that ¨a man¨ was using the women's locker room. Planet Fitness management asked Cormier if she would stop bringing Sklodowska's use if the locker room was a problem, Cormier refused. Planet Fitness responded by revoking Cormier membership for breaking her membership contract. Cormier was upset with the suspension of her contract. Cormier believes that she was in her rights to inform the other female members of "a man" using the women's locker room, because it poses a threat and danger to the other woman in the facility if a man can use the women's locker room. Cormier has reached out to many local politicians for support in her ideas and to take action against Planet Fitness and their policies and judgment. Midlands representative in the Michigan House of Representative is Rep. Gary Glen, a man strongly spoken against pro-LGBT legislation, ideas, and acts, has sided with Cormier. Glen was quoted by Mlive News with this statement, "As she characterized the situation, Planet Fitness has made clear it does not offer a family friendly environment..." Cormier is not the only one to have support though; Sklodowska is also gaining support. Charin Davenport, a transgender woman and advocate of transgender rights, believes that Planet Fitness and Slodowska were fully with there rights and responded correctly. Davenport believes that the indecent of privacy, more than anything else. Davenport was quoted by Mlive News, "Some people just don't like their bodies looked at. The trans woman deserves privacy as well and deserves to be comfortable as well. Planet Fitness, their policy takes that into consideration." Planet Fitness also has private changing rooms and rest rooms in their locker rooms, to ensure privacy and comfort. Jay Caplan, an attorney with Michigan's LGBT project believes that Planet Fitness has the correct form of policy, to let people use the space they are comfortable with. Kaplan also saw this a safety issue for transgender members. "A transgender woman would be much more at risk for her safety if she had to use the men's bathroom," Kaplan said, ""Our civil rights laws don't include the category of gender identity... That doesn't mean that transgender people can be denied access to a restroom." Cormier doesn't see Slodowska was the victim in this incident, but sees herself as the victim and is now suing Planet Fitness. Cormier is suing Planet Fitness for $25,000 and the cost of all applicable fees. She is suing on several counts, some of which include, breach of contract, an exemplary damages claim, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and three counts of sexual harassment under the Elliott-Larsen Act.
This part is accepted as fact, but now it's time for my opinion. I believe Cormier is in the wrong. Sklodowska was well with in her rights and the companies policy to use the women's changing room. Cormier was saying that she felt violated because a "man" was using the women's changing room, even though this "man" sees herself as a woman in almost all aspects. The alternative to Slodowska had at that point was to use the men's changing room, which could be a threat to Slodowska. The threat it would pose to her could be even more dangerous than one woman feeling uncomfortable about a transgender woman using the women's locker room. So, is possibly putting a person's physical and emotional well-being at risk worth the problems that a cis-gendered female has with understanding a person's way of life? I think not. Cormier then decided that the slandering of Slodowska didn't make Slodowska the victim of the incident, but made Cormier herself the victim of this incident. Cormier was asked by the management to stop slandering Slodowska, and when she refused and had her membership revoked for breaking the "no judgement policy", Cormier said that she was the victim because she had her membership revoked for breaking an unknown policy. Wouldn't you think that it is common sense that there would be a policy that if you slander or bad mouth another member for any reason, you're in the wrong and are liable to be punished? Apparently, Cormier thinks that slandering people is an okay thing if they're different, and that nothing should be done to the slanderer. Cormier then decides to sue Planet Fitness for it's unknown "Don't judge other members" policy. Cormier says that she is the victim of sexual harassment, emotional distress, and the invasion of her privacy because she slandered and judged another member and didn't want someone to use the locker room that felt comfortable with because it "invaded" her privacy. Yet, if Cormier had it the way she wants, Slodowska would have a higher chance of actually being sexual harassed, emotionally distraught, and having her privacy invaded. Cormier should not be suing Planet Fitness for her narrow-mindedness and misunderstanding of another human being's expression of them self. Cormeir should not be suing Plant Fitness for the revoking of her membership after being asked to stop slandering, and not even showing decent human kindness to another human who is a little different. The only thing I think Cormier is the victim of is her own narrow-mindedness.
This part is accepted as fact, but now it's time for my opinion. I believe Cormier is in the wrong. Sklodowska was well with in her rights and the companies policy to use the women's changing room. Cormier was saying that she felt violated because a "man" was using the women's changing room, even though this "man" sees herself as a woman in almost all aspects. The alternative to Slodowska had at that point was to use the men's changing room, which could be a threat to Slodowska. The threat it would pose to her could be even more dangerous than one woman feeling uncomfortable about a transgender woman using the women's locker room. So, is possibly putting a person's physical and emotional well-being at risk worth the problems that a cis-gendered female has with understanding a person's way of life? I think not. Cormier then decided that the slandering of Slodowska didn't make Slodowska the victim of the incident, but made Cormier herself the victim of this incident. Cormier was asked by the management to stop slandering Slodowska, and when she refused and had her membership revoked for breaking the "no judgement policy", Cormier said that she was the victim because she had her membership revoked for breaking an unknown policy. Wouldn't you think that it is common sense that there would be a policy that if you slander or bad mouth another member for any reason, you're in the wrong and are liable to be punished? Apparently, Cormier thinks that slandering people is an okay thing if they're different, and that nothing should be done to the slanderer. Cormier then decides to sue Planet Fitness for it's unknown "Don't judge other members" policy. Cormier says that she is the victim of sexual harassment, emotional distress, and the invasion of her privacy because she slandered and judged another member and didn't want someone to use the locker room that felt comfortable with because it "invaded" her privacy. Yet, if Cormier had it the way she wants, Slodowska would have a higher chance of actually being sexual harassed, emotionally distraught, and having her privacy invaded. Cormier should not be suing Planet Fitness for her narrow-mindedness and misunderstanding of another human being's expression of them self. Cormeir should not be suing Plant Fitness for the revoking of her membership after being asked to stop slandering, and not even showing decent human kindness to another human who is a little different. The only thing I think Cormier is the victim of is her own narrow-mindedness.
Leelah Alcorn
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On December 28, 2014 at approximately 2:15 a.m. Leelah Alcorn committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving truck. Leelah Alcorn was born Joshua Alcorn on Nonmember 15, 1997. Leelah posted her suicide note to her tumblr. Leelah was a transgender teen female, just like most teens and as most transgenders, she had her troubles. She wrote "I feel like a girl trapped in a boy's body, and I've felt that way ever since I was 4. I never knew there was word for that feeling." Leelah stayed in the struggled for years to find out who she was, and at the age of 14 she learned she was transgender. Leelah wrote that she "cried of happiness" when she found out about transgenderism and who she really was. She finally understood who she was told her mother, but her mother's reaction was bitter and down-putting. Leelah wrote in her suicide note that her mother said to her, "...it was a phase, that I would never truly be a girl." Her parents became unsupportive and force her to see a therapist. This therapist deemed her "mentally ill" and she was forced to take medications. She had stop talking about it until recently. In her suicide note, she apologized to her few friends and said "My death needs to mean something", she wants what happened to her to never happen to another child. She wants her death to be a milestone in an era where LGBTQ rights are accepted and respected, to where a child should never be afraid to tell their parents. I believe in what she died for, her death needs to mean something. #LeelahAlcorn
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The story of Ryland, a young transgender boy. A film by CNN.
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Stories
The following are stories from real transgender people who were courageous enough to share a bit about their life to educate others.
Jake
I am a 16-year-old boy named Jake. And until a little over a year ago, I thought I was a girl. From birth, that is what I was taught, so of course it had to be true, right?
It wasn’t until I was 14 years old that I began to realize the truth. At first I was confused, and a little nervous. I cut my hair short, got rid of all my skirts, and asked my friends to call me Jake. It was a little scary, but I knew that it was the right thing.
But in that short amount of time, what began as confusion has turned into misery. Even if I know that this is the right thing, not everyone else agrees. Even knowing the truth about myself, I still have to go about my day under an outdated name, using girl’s restrooms, girl’s locker rooms. The cliché “I’m living a lie”—well, that’s me.
It’s hard to imagine the amount of stress it puts on a person. Every “she” directed at me feels like an arrow shot through my chest. The sound of my voice sickens me. Shopping for clothes, taking a shower, getting my driver’s license, even playing icebreaker games are a nightmare. It’s exhausting, having to spend every minute of your life pretending to be someone else.
Sometimes I just want to disappear entirely. Often the thought of it all is overwhelming, and I just want to cry. I want to stand up in the middle of my entire school and my family and scream my name out to the world. And the only thing that’s stopping me is fear—fear of being kicked out, ridiculed, bullied. And so I just have to go on living the lie.
It wasn’t until I was 14 years old that I began to realize the truth. At first I was confused, and a little nervous. I cut my hair short, got rid of all my skirts, and asked my friends to call me Jake. It was a little scary, but I knew that it was the right thing.
But in that short amount of time, what began as confusion has turned into misery. Even if I know that this is the right thing, not everyone else agrees. Even knowing the truth about myself, I still have to go about my day under an outdated name, using girl’s restrooms, girl’s locker rooms. The cliché “I’m living a lie”—well, that’s me.
It’s hard to imagine the amount of stress it puts on a person. Every “she” directed at me feels like an arrow shot through my chest. The sound of my voice sickens me. Shopping for clothes, taking a shower, getting my driver’s license, even playing icebreaker games are a nightmare. It’s exhausting, having to spend every minute of your life pretending to be someone else.
Sometimes I just want to disappear entirely. Often the thought of it all is overwhelming, and I just want to cry. I want to stand up in the middle of my entire school and my family and scream my name out to the world. And the only thing that’s stopping me is fear—fear of being kicked out, ridiculed, bullied. And so I just have to go on living the lie.
Xavier
Sup. I'm Xavier, 16 years old, from a small city in Ontario, Canada. I like to believe that I'm just your typical guy - enjoying good music, cute girls, hockey, video games, parties, etc... I have a great group of friends, a gorgeous girlfriend, a good academic career (well, for the most part). Practically living the dream, right?
I wish it was that easy, man.
Most people know me as Marissa. Words really can't describe how much I hate hearing people use that name, how much I hate hearing people refer to me as "she", how much I hate people calling me pretty, how much I hate that boys flirt with me thinking I'm a girl... I just hate living this lie. As much as I want people to know, they can't. Who's going to take me, someone who has long hair, lots of jewellery, and feminine clothes, seriously when I say "I'm a boy"?
My parents aren't supportive. My mum got upset just because I wore my brother's socks -- how do you think telling her that I am a boy would go?
It seems like a lot of people knew they were transgender from early on, but not me. I didn't realize it until several months ago. I've always been more masculine, though: my mum had to hold me down in order to put my hair up, I refused to wear dresses, my friends consisted of mostly guys, the list goes on and on and on. I looked at men and I didn't think that I was any different than them. I thought I was one of them. I'd go around without a shirt on, urinate standing up... My mum didn't approve, of course. She vehemently enforced female gender roles on me. If she hadn't, I believe that I would've known I was a boy sooner.
I started questioning my gender early last year. I thought that I was genderfluid (fluctuating between genders) at first. In February, I asked my online friends to call me Nick and use male pronouns when referring to me, and, lo and behold, it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I eventually found that Xavier was a better fit than Nick, but other than that, the whole thing felt so right.
People were really supportive, too! I got messages from total strangers, saying that they supported me and would continue to support me no matter what. My girlfriend has been amazing through this whole thing. No one has been more supportive than she has, and I'm unbelievably grateful for her every day. No one keeps me as strong as she does. I've even had some transgender people message me, thanking me for being so brave, and I've made quite a few new friends. Three of my best friends are trans as well, so I have a good support system.
As for the challenges I face? Dysphoria. I want to rip my breasts off, I want to grow a beard, I want to have a deep voice; all those small things that most guys don't even think about. Transphobia runs rapid, and I'd be a liar if I said seeing some of the things said about people like me doesn't hurt. You don't have to like any of this. You don't have to understand any of it. But we're still people. We're no less human than you are. We're doing what makes us happy. All I ask is that people at least respect it. Me being male or female in no way affects their lives, so why do they care? All this hate, it's just so unnecessary.
Transitioning itself is also no easy feat. It's expensive. It's so expensive. In Canada, there are no laws protecting me from discrimination, and many crucial parts of transitioning aren't covered. I need to have full sex reassignment surgery before my birth province will recognize me as male. I need stacks of papers to even begin taking hormones. It's like a slap in the face, really. As if we didn't have enough to worry about (coming out, fear of not being perceived as your transitioned gender, etc), we also need doctors notes, money, all this legal work...
I'm optimistic, though. I look 10 years ahead and I see myself, fully transitioned, living in a nice town with my lovely wife and hopefully some children who will think I'm the coolest dad around. No one will know my legal name. No one will know that I was born a girl. Marissa will cease to exist, and it'll be like she never did.
I wish it was that easy, man.
Most people know me as Marissa. Words really can't describe how much I hate hearing people use that name, how much I hate hearing people refer to me as "she", how much I hate people calling me pretty, how much I hate that boys flirt with me thinking I'm a girl... I just hate living this lie. As much as I want people to know, they can't. Who's going to take me, someone who has long hair, lots of jewellery, and feminine clothes, seriously when I say "I'm a boy"?
My parents aren't supportive. My mum got upset just because I wore my brother's socks -- how do you think telling her that I am a boy would go?
It seems like a lot of people knew they were transgender from early on, but not me. I didn't realize it until several months ago. I've always been more masculine, though: my mum had to hold me down in order to put my hair up, I refused to wear dresses, my friends consisted of mostly guys, the list goes on and on and on. I looked at men and I didn't think that I was any different than them. I thought I was one of them. I'd go around without a shirt on, urinate standing up... My mum didn't approve, of course. She vehemently enforced female gender roles on me. If she hadn't, I believe that I would've known I was a boy sooner.
I started questioning my gender early last year. I thought that I was genderfluid (fluctuating between genders) at first. In February, I asked my online friends to call me Nick and use male pronouns when referring to me, and, lo and behold, it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I eventually found that Xavier was a better fit than Nick, but other than that, the whole thing felt so right.
People were really supportive, too! I got messages from total strangers, saying that they supported me and would continue to support me no matter what. My girlfriend has been amazing through this whole thing. No one has been more supportive than she has, and I'm unbelievably grateful for her every day. No one keeps me as strong as she does. I've even had some transgender people message me, thanking me for being so brave, and I've made quite a few new friends. Three of my best friends are trans as well, so I have a good support system.
As for the challenges I face? Dysphoria. I want to rip my breasts off, I want to grow a beard, I want to have a deep voice; all those small things that most guys don't even think about. Transphobia runs rapid, and I'd be a liar if I said seeing some of the things said about people like me doesn't hurt. You don't have to like any of this. You don't have to understand any of it. But we're still people. We're no less human than you are. We're doing what makes us happy. All I ask is that people at least respect it. Me being male or female in no way affects their lives, so why do they care? All this hate, it's just so unnecessary.
Transitioning itself is also no easy feat. It's expensive. It's so expensive. In Canada, there are no laws protecting me from discrimination, and many crucial parts of transitioning aren't covered. I need to have full sex reassignment surgery before my birth province will recognize me as male. I need stacks of papers to even begin taking hormones. It's like a slap in the face, really. As if we didn't have enough to worry about (coming out, fear of not being perceived as your transitioned gender, etc), we also need doctors notes, money, all this legal work...
I'm optimistic, though. I look 10 years ahead and I see myself, fully transitioned, living in a nice town with my lovely wife and hopefully some children who will think I'm the coolest dad around. No one will know my legal name. No one will know that I was born a girl. Marissa will cease to exist, and it'll be like she never did.
Ali
Hi! I'm Ali, and I am 17 years old and a senior in high school. From the age of 4 and onward, I knew that I wasn't the average boy. Until a few months ago, I was still in hiding about who I was, I feared coming out to the public about who I am. Since I was born, I was raised to be a boy. I played football, hung-out with dominantly male friend groups, I wore suits to dances, and I even had a few girlfriends. Despite all of this crap, I never felt like it fit me, it felt foreign.
I tried for years to try to figure out "what is wrong with me", I researched, and thought, and even contemplated visiting a psychiatrist. It wasn't until a few months ago, that I figured out what I am. I figured out that I AM transgender, that I was not a boy, not a man, but a girl, maybe even a woman by some standards, but never the less I was female and NOT male. Coming to realization of what I am, and the fact that nothing IS wrong with me caused me to break into tears of joy.
Until I worked up the courage to tell a few friends about who I truly was, I felt caged, I felt trapped, I felt helpless. I carried on in my life as if I still was who everyone thought I was. Each day felt more and more like burden, as if the Earth's gravity was getting stronger. The day I finally told a select group of friends, I felt as if I became as light as a feather and Earth's gravity lost the majority of it's pull. I told them that I wanted to be known as "her" and not "him" and that I wanted to be called Ali, and not my birth name. They were all acceptance of my opening up.
Yet, still at my school, people call be my birth name. They still refer me as "he" and "him". I still am not allowed to use the girls' restroom or count myself among the female populous. Each time I am denied the fact of who I am by being told I "can't do that because you're a boy," or some other stupid segregating jargon like that, I feel a part of me die, I feel the cage descending on me again, I feel the gravity increase. But these are problems that people in my position face, these are the struggles we go through, the pain we feel. The dysphoria one feels when they can't use the right restroom, or wear a dress, or wear a suit is almost describable, but we move on and push for a better future. This is my story, and my experiences, I hope for the sake of myself and others who share a story like mine that the future for us grows brighter, so that everyone will grow to understand that we are people like they are, heart and soul.
I tried for years to try to figure out "what is wrong with me", I researched, and thought, and even contemplated visiting a psychiatrist. It wasn't until a few months ago, that I figured out what I am. I figured out that I AM transgender, that I was not a boy, not a man, but a girl, maybe even a woman by some standards, but never the less I was female and NOT male. Coming to realization of what I am, and the fact that nothing IS wrong with me caused me to break into tears of joy.
Until I worked up the courage to tell a few friends about who I truly was, I felt caged, I felt trapped, I felt helpless. I carried on in my life as if I still was who everyone thought I was. Each day felt more and more like burden, as if the Earth's gravity was getting stronger. The day I finally told a select group of friends, I felt as if I became as light as a feather and Earth's gravity lost the majority of it's pull. I told them that I wanted to be known as "her" and not "him" and that I wanted to be called Ali, and not my birth name. They were all acceptance of my opening up.
Yet, still at my school, people call be my birth name. They still refer me as "he" and "him". I still am not allowed to use the girls' restroom or count myself among the female populous. Each time I am denied the fact of who I am by being told I "can't do that because you're a boy," or some other stupid segregating jargon like that, I feel a part of me die, I feel the cage descending on me again, I feel the gravity increase. But these are problems that people in my position face, these are the struggles we go through, the pain we feel. The dysphoria one feels when they can't use the right restroom, or wear a dress, or wear a suit is almost describable, but we move on and push for a better future. This is my story, and my experiences, I hope for the sake of myself and others who share a story like mine that the future for us grows brighter, so that everyone will grow to understand that we are people like they are, heart and soul.