It is Pride Month, and that means specifically LGBT Pride Month. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Month. Often, however, I find the T is relegated to a secondary spot or not realistically discussed. After all, being transgender is not about who you are sexually attracted to, but about what gender you identify as. This can often lead to the important dialogue about Transgender issues being lost among discussions of marriage equality, and rights to openly engage in romantic and sexual relationships with who you want.
Yet, Transgenderism seems to be a hot topic these days in the United States. With the Sex change of Caitlyn Jenner to her actual sex identity, and the absurd bathroom debate in the United States of America seeming to have opened up a forum for shouting matches about what it means to be transgender. Now, what is a transgender individual is not always readily answered. To quote the American Psychological Association, in the field of psychology, transgender is an “umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or behaviour does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.” (APA, 2011).
A simple definition to understand, I would argue. However, what is harder to understand is the nature of the debates that persist, and why they are so prevalent in some circles. The transgender population is far from a large population, nor the population making the most noise about these issues. Now, it is impossible to accurately generate a statistic regarding a world population of transgender people, after all even in the west as many as 71% of Transgender people remain closeted publicly for fear of discrimination (Grant et al, 2011), however, the conservative estimate of below one percent in any given country can be said with a degree of confidence. How does such a small part of the population have such an impact on public discourse?
Transgender individuals who identify with their actual gender rather than their presented sex face pervasive anti-transgender bias and resulting discrimination, however, this is especially true of those who belong to racial minorities as well as being transgender. The results of these biases are that most live in extreme poverty. Samples of Transgender individuals indicate that they are approximately four times more likely to have a household income of less than $10,000 per annum compared to a general population of the United States.
The final impact of this is that 41% of the General Transgender individuals report attempting suicide compared to 1.6% of the general population. The discrimination discussed above also affected suicide rates:
- 55% of those who lost a job due to discrimination had attempted suicide.
- 51% of those subjected to harassment and bullied in school had attempted suicide.
- 61% of those living in a low-income household had attempted suicide.
Similarly, these rates were affected by the violence that transgender individuals experience. 61% of respondents who experienced physical assault reported attempting suicide, and 64% of those who were victims of sexual assault responded they had tried. The significant increase in violence against transgender individuals, including murder, since 2009 has only compounded matters.
Simply put, if you are a transgender individual, then you are part of the worlds smallest population. You are also perhaps part of the most misunderstood part of the world’s population. Many factors confuse people when discussing transgenderism, but what are these factors?
1. Transsexual and Transgender are not one in the same, as sex and gender are not one in the same. A transgender individual does not identify with how they present in a Binary system, where the sex of male is indicative of Masculine or being a Man, and the sex of female with feminine or womanly. In contrast, a transsexual individual is undergoing, or has undergone, a transition from their presented sex to their actual sex. A transgender individual may progress to transsexual, but not always, and a transsexual individual is no longer transgender: their presented sex is their actual sex.
2. Male and Female is a largely Eurocentric, or patriarchal, social construct. When observing other cultures, we can discover with regularity the existence of “Third-Genders” (Again, a dated Eurocentric word but the best we have). Concepts of masculinity and femininity are cultural, and social constructs, that are as readily deconstructed as they are constructed. (Deutsch, 2007).
3. The existence of the phenomena of Neurogender. How an individual’s mood, and other mental health factors, affect their concept of their gender identity. Gender Dysphoria is also still considered a mental health diagnosis, though, not always with negative connotations that it must be “cured”. Rather, that a positive outcome be found, such as allowing the individual live according to their identity. However, the fact it is still a diagnosis confuses many with it being the mental health problem, rather than the distress of having to live as the wrong gender.
Many also believe that nurture, rather than nature is the key component in the issues around whether one is transgender or not. However, we have long known that genetics play a significant part in human behaviour, and outcomes. Similarly, modern research is revealing a significant number of truths to us:
1. The XX and XY chromosome to determine the presented sex is far more complicated than once believed. The Y chromosome carries the SRY sequence, which is the “Data” that signals the development of Male Genitalia. However, we now know this can be absent in a Y chromosome, so that everything but the development of male genitalia is activated. Similarly, many women carry the DAX1 protein, which functions as an anti-testis gene by acting antagonistically to SRY. As such, we have individuals who present as women but were born from an XY chromosome sequence (Walker et al, 1992).
2. There have been many studies on differences between female and male brains, and studies indicate that transgender individuals do have a biological basis for the “man/women trapped in the wrong body” phenomena. In 2014 Julie Bakker, a biologist, and Sarah M. Burke, a psychologist, used functional MRI to examine how 39 prepubertal and 41 adolescent boys and girls with gender dysphoria responded to androstadiene. It is well documented that the hypothalamus of men and women respond very differently to androstadiene, an odorous steroid with pheromonelike properties. They found that the adolescent boys and girls with gender dysphoria responded much like peers of their experienced gender. This sort of result is very important to remember, because sex differences in responding to odours cannot be influenced by conditioning, nurturing, or the environment.
Now that we have broadly discussed many of the issues about Transgenderism and I would like to summarise:
1. The transgender community is incredibly vulnerable. It is often the silent partner in the LGBT collective, and the conversation about Transgenderism is often dominated by those outside of said community. As such a small group, rarely are they able to speak on their own behalf or be the leaders in the conversation about themselves.
2. Gender is a social construct, often influenced by presented sex (hence the traditional western binary model), that can be deconstructed. Similarly, in discussing gender people often fail to recognise historical examples of non-binary models. People lack an understanding of the language of gender.
3. There is a biological basis for transgenderism. It is not a modern, cultural, construct or delusion. It is a very real experience that people have, and a very real part of people’s identity.
Now, what does all this mean to a Jedi? First, we are protectors and servants of others. Transgender individuals are some of the most vulnerable in the world; if we fail to be an ally to them in their struggle we have failed as Jedi. Secondly, our codes say it all for us:
Yet Code
Ignorance, yet knowledge; Passion, yet serenity.
No/Is Code
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge; There is no passion, there is serenity.
Armonia Guidance Mantra
Seek knowledge to challenge ignorance; Temper passions to find harmony.
Skywalker Code
Jedi respect all life, in any form; Jedi serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy.
Armonia Code
We are Jedi; Protectors of Freedom
Heartland Jedi Code
I acknowledge all life is sacred; I use my training to defend and protect; I will seek knowledge with the understanding of self-ignorance
We rely upon knowledge to guide us, not belief but objective study of the world around us. The evidence supports the reality of the transgender experience, and the evidence reports their vulnerability. With this knowledge, we cannot act in any other way but to be allies to the cause.
Our beliefs, and passions, and attachments to our own concept of the world is secondary to the suffering and autonomy of others. Whatever we might believe about the divine masculine and feminine, the design of God, or perhaps where we stand on the debate about the diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria: the suffering, and the right of the person before us to be their own person surmounts all of that.
Aside from the code, and basic human decency, we can also consider the Jedi Compass and how it guides us. Above, I have discussed important of loyalty to the code, and how the tenants inform us how to deal with complicated issues such as transgenderism. Seeking knowledge, and adjusting to this new information, and remembering that empathy is more important than defending our own beliefs. For the remainder, I wish to challenge the reader to explore and discuss the compass’ tenants in the contexts of their own beliefs, and for them to ask if they can be dutiful to the compass with regards to the issues confronting the LGBT and particularly the transgender community.
Ethics
Duty to the All: A Jedi’s mission is to support their community through service.
Are you aware of the issues that Transgender individuals face in your community?
Respect the Law: A Jedi must act for the best interest of mankind as he/she sees the situation.
Are there laws, or prohibitive acts, which are detrimental to the vulnerable transgender minority in your country?
Defense: A Jedi understands that there are many ways to defend a person.
How are you serving the purpose of mitigating the vulnerabilities of those transgender individuals in your community?
Action: A Jedi recognizes that there are times when getting involved with a situation is against the will of the person they are seeking to assist.
How are you acting as part of the ongoing conversation, or are you even part of it? Are you empowering the right people to speak?
Self-Awareness
Interior: A Jedi works to become aware of their emotions and things which make them “tick”.
Are there issues with the matter that are purely your own? How are your biases affecting your part in this?
Exterior: It is important that a Jedi be aware of the person they present to those around them.
Do you present your self as an effective ally, and source of support?
Virtues
Tolerance: Tolerance is not about agreement, it is about showing respect for the freedom of a person’s choice.
Whatever your personal beliefs, are you being a source or harm or not?
Responsibility: Responsibility is at the heart of learning to overcome our problems.
Do you struggle to rectify your concept of gender models with that of transgenderism? Until you take responsibility for your biases you will only be part of the problem
Discipline: It is your responsibility to continue your growth throughout the rest of your life.
Are you allowing bias, fears, or unresolved issues to dominate your life?
Fortitude: Fortitude is the emotional strength and conviction to press forward in any given situation which poses an internal or external adversity.
When someone we love admits they are making a significant change about themselves, it can be difficult to accept emotionally at first, but it is your duty as a Jedi and a human being.
Integrity: A Jedi seeks to maintain their integrity to the Jedi Code always.
I have discussed how I believe the code tells us to act, but can you act according to the demands of the code?
Objectivity: A Jedi trains themselves to gain as much relevant information as possible before drawing their conclusions.
Are you allowing knowledge, or stereotyping and past attitudes to help you navigate the modern world?
Overcome
Aggression: A Jedi must keep themselves open to the world.
Are you fighting to make your perspective the one heard, and dominate the conversation?
Recklessness: In overcoming recklessness, a Jedi acknowledges and is mindful of how small the impact is perceived to have on themselves or others.
Are you being mindful of your words and actions with regards to the gender conversation?
Attachments: Overcoming your attachments is about forward movement.
As the world changes, and those we love change, we must learn to let go of those things that are childish and irrelevant. We must learn to overcome our attachment to what we want people to be, and instead learn to accept them for who they are.
To Conclude
We have barely scratched the surface, or the information out there, regarding the ongoing issues the Transgender community faces and the scientific studies into the reality of the Transgender experience. However, I do hope I have at least illuminated that it is no simple thing that Transgender people face in their daily lives: The world can be a scary place. I also hope that I have encouraged you to have a serious time of consideration about whether you can reconcile being a Jedi with any other beliefs you may have. As Jedi, we are foremost tolerant, but also servants and protectors. It is not enough to tolerate the existence of a minority group by not being their enemy, but you cannot be complicit in the actions of their abusers by doing nothing to protect them. That is the task, and duty of a Jedi.
Citations & Bibliography
American Psychological Association. (2011) Answers to your questions about Transgender People, Gender Identity, and gender Expression. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/sexuality/transgender.pdf.
Grant, J. M., Mottet, L. A., Tanis, J., Harrison, J., Herman, J. L., and Keisling, M. (2011) Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Washington: National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Deutsch, F. M. (2007). Undoing gender. Gender & Society. Sage. 21 (1): 106–127. doi:10.1177/0891243206293577. Pdf.
Walker, A. P., Chelly, J., Love, D. R., Brush, Y. I., Récan, D., Chaussain, J. L., Oley, C. A., Connor, J. M., Yates, J., and Price, D. A. (1992). A YAC contig in Xp21 containing the adrenal hypoplasia congenita and glycerol kinase deficiency genes. Human Molecular Genetics. 1 (8): 579–85.
Burke, S. M., Cohen-Kettenis, P. T., Veltman, D. J., Klink, D. T., & Bakker, J. (2014). Hypothalamic Response to the Chemo-Signal Androstadienone in Gender Dysphoric Children and Adolescents. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 5, 60. http://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2014.00060