The one thing the LGBT community has always pursued is acceptance, and for the most part they've seen that, particularly over the past decade. However, one segment is just now getting visibility, and that's the transgender community.
With the Vanity Fair cover of Catilyn Jenner, along with some other select examples (Amazon's 'Transparent' and Laverne Cox on 'Orange Is The New Black'), many are just now getting familiar to transgender issues. Now, it's reasonable to expect, with this rise in the public eye, that some will be confused. And you know what? That's okay. Its completely alright to ask questions, and to seek out information. But there's a difference between confusion and bigotry.
When introduced to something new, people are inclined to react 1 of 2 ways; question and learn to understand, or fall to previously held predispositions and stereotypes. A few historical examples of the latter includes the Church's reaction to Galileo's theories , Mental illness or epilepsy and the salem witch trials , or new science (such as climate change or vaccines). Granted, these are all thoroughly different situations, but they have that similar thread of something new being introduced with a resistance.
Over time, society has come to broadly accept the 1st segments of the LGBT community, with support for gay marriage dramatically increasing as more and more states recognize it (thanks in part to the Judiciary, but recognizing it nonetheless). Soon we could come to the point where coming out is no longer a milestone. However, the transgender community still has a ways to go, even with this recent attention and visibility.
With this quick rise of exposure, its natural that some would be confused. But there's a fine line to asking legitimate questions, and going down a path of bigotry. For example, a consistent misuse of proper pronouns. Now, if its a one-time mistake, that's respectable, but if a misuse occurs on a continuous basis, then a line has been crossed.
In addition, delving into overly personal territory (surgeries, appearances, etc) is another example. One can understand why someone would be curious, but its not their job to force the issue if a trans-woman or man doesn't want to reveal that information. You wouldn't walk up to a complete stranger and ask them a similar line of questioning. So if it's not okay then, then it certainly isn't in this instance.
One more example of crossing a line is a refusal to call someone by the name that they prefer. One prevalent example of this is when former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell tweeted that he'd still call Caitlyn Jenner "Bruce". This really displays a sense of arrogance, that you get to name and define everyone else.
These are just a few examples of what not to do or say. Now, transgenderism can be a complex or confusing issue as its becoming more visible. One issue that gets thrown around is "biology", with some questioning how can someone think of themselves as a different gender than what their assigned sex is at birth. Now, I'm certainly not an expert and can't go into complete detail on sex vs. gender, but here's a good brief primer . But simply put, your "biology" or "chromosomes" don't necessarily define your gender; and that issue can be a hang-up for some people.
I think its fairly simple though on how to act .....just be respectful. That's all, just treat others how you'd like to be treated. And for those who are genuinely curious, or confused and want to learn more, here's the media guide from GLAAD on transgender issues.
Times are certainly changing. And with that, I think we can make this a generation of acceptance. We don't know what other people are going through (a good spot for that 'walk a mile' adage). If you don't be who you truly are, how can you experience true happiness? Now, I know that might sound sappy, but its the honest truth. Shouldn't everyone get to live and experience true happiness? And if it doesn't harm you or anyone else, then why should it matter how anyone decides to live their own life?
Those dealing with gender identity or transgender issues (those who are closeted or just now coming out) are already dealing with a lot. So lets make this a generation of acceptance, for all.
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