Trans Kids is a trenchant ethnographic and interview-based study of the first generation of families affirming and facilitating gender nonconformity in children. Whereas previous generations of parents sent such children for psychiatric treatment aimed at a cure, these parents agree to call their children new names, allow them to wear whatever clothing they choose, and approach the state to alter the gender designation on their passports and birth certificates. Sociologist Tey Meadow argues that these parents are negotiating gender in new and significant ways, with everyone and everything, from intimates to institutions.
Drawing from sociology, philosophy, psychology and sexuality studies, Meadow depicts the intricate social processes that shape gender acquisition. Where once atypical gender expression was considered a failure of gender, now it is a form of gender. Engaging and rigorously argued, Trans Kids underscores both the centrality of ever more particular configurations of gender in both our physical and psychological life, and the increasing embeddedness of personal identities in social institutions.
Just One of the Guys? Transgender Men and the Persistence of Gender InequalityKristen Schilt draws on in-depth interviews and observational data to show that while individual transmen have varied experiences, overall their stories are a testament to systemic gender inequality. The reactions of coworkers and employers to transmen, Schilt demonstrates, reveal the ways assumptions about innate differences between men and women serve as justification for discrimination. She finds that some transmen gain acceptance—and even privileges—by becoming “just one of the guys,” that some are coerced into working as women or marginalized for being openly transgender, and that other forms of appearance-based discrimination also influence their opportunities. Showcasing the voices of a frequently overlooked group, Just One of the Guys? lays bare the social processes that foster forms of inequality that affect us all.
Public Policy and the Well-Being of Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth in the United States: A Sociological Resource for Public Understanding
From the Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE), here is the National Transgender Discrimination Survey: Full Report
This report provides information on discrimination in every major area of life — including housing, employment, health and health care, education, public accommodation, family life, criminal justice and government identity documents. In virtually every setting, the data underscores the urgent need for policymakers and community leaders to change their business-as-usual approach and confront the devastating consequences of anti-transgender bias.
Sixty-three percent (63%) of our participants experienced serious acts of discrimination—events that would have a major impact on a person’s quality of life and ability to sustain themselves financially or emotionally. Participants reported that they had faced:
- Loss of job due to bias
- Eviction due to bias
- School bullying/harassment so bad the respondent had to drop out
- Teacher bullying
- Physical assault due to bias
- Sexual assault due to bias
- Homelessness because of gender identity/expression
- Loss of relationship with partner or children due to gender identity/expression
- Denial of medical service due to bias
- Incarceration due to gender identity/expression
The Social Costs of Gender Nonconformity for Transgender Adults: Implications for Discrimination and Health
Using data from the largest survey of transgender adults in the United States, the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (N = 4,115), we examine the associations among gender nonconformity, transphobic discrimination, and health‐harming behaviors (i.e., attempted suicide, drug/alcohol abuse, and smoking). The results suggest that gender nonconforming trans people face more discrimination and, in turn, are more likely to engage in health‐harming behaviors than trans people who are gender conforming. Our findings highlight the important role of gender nonconformity in the social experiences and well‐being of transgender people.
Trans Medicine: The Emergence and Practice of Treating GenderDrawing on interviews with medical providers as well as ethnographic and archival research, shuster examines how health professionals approach patients who seek gender-affirming care. From genital reconstructions to hormone injections, the practice of trans medicine charts new medical ground, compelling medical professionals to plan treatments without widescale clinical trials to back them up. Relying on cultural norms and gut instincts to inform their treatment plans, shuster shows how medical providers’ lack of clinical experience and scientific research undermines their ability to interact with patients, craft treatment plans, and make medical decisions. This situation defies how providers are trained to work with patients and creates uncertainty. As providers navigate the developing knowledge surrounding the medical care of trans folk, Trans Medicine offers a rare opportunity to understand how providers make decisions while facing challenges to their expertise and, in the process, have acquired authority not only over clinical outcomes, but over gender itself.
Sociologists for Trans Justice (S4TJ)
The mission of the Sociologists for Trans Justice (S4TJ) initiative is three-fold:
- To support trans, non-binary, and intersex scholars in sociology
- To advance trans, non-binary, and intersex studies in sociology
- To increase public understanding of trans, non-binary, and intersex issues.
Applying Verstehen: Understanding the Transgender Experience
Inclusion and Nonbinary People
There are many ways of reinforcing the gender binary in everyday life and thus excluding non-binary individuals. Additionally, these binary practices reinforce the idea that males and females can only exist in exclusive poles rather than on a spectrum. Some of the ways that these binary practices commonly show up are with pronouns, bathrooms and dress codes. In all three cases, care should be taken to try to use neutral forms of each.
· Out and Equal provides resources and suggestions for each of these.
· The NIH has a guide to inclusive language including saying "everyone" instead of "ladies and gentlemen" and another study from researchers at Princeton finds that using gender neutral terms at work creates less bias and more equality at the workplace.
· Use the person's preferred pronoun and proper name as explained by Transequality.org.
For more info, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation has an FAQ available at their website.
Also, a guide to supporting the trans community is available from Transequality.org.
GenderSpectrum.org provides an extensive collection of resources including this list of how to make medical facilities inclusive:
And the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center has a number of learning modules and resources including this Guide to Providing Care for Patients with Non-binary Gender Identities that highlights these best practices:
Sex on a Continuum
In terms of sex, Americans usually think of people as a binary that is either female or male. But there are numerous ways that sex exists on a continuum. Some humans are born intersex, a condition in which they have parts of genitalia that are considered male and female. Most often humans are born with genes that are either XX or XY but there are people born with other variations such as XXY. Scientific American explains the continuum here. And they provide a useful graphic here or here:
The continuum does not end at birth. As people enter puberty, generally males become taller and have more muscle mass, body hair and testosterone than females. But these traits do not exist as a binary – some females will have more testosterone and muscle mass and some males will have less. All of these exist on a continuum and do not fit neatly into boxes the way that US culture would them to.
One example of the spectrum of sex is the IAAF's 2018 proposal of new rules that would exclude some female runners from competing in women's Olympic events. The Guardian explains (2018) how the International Association of Athletes Federation is searching for a scientific way to justify banning females with naturally occurring testosterone at above a certain level. Like Ibram Kendi explained how race is used to justify racial discrimination, science is being manipulated to justify the unscientific binary that draws a firm division between what is considered female and what is considered male.
Secondly, the silence is also a critique of modern education. Education is a social institution. Sociologists study institutions and how they affect people. This critique of education came to me from Bernard McGrane's Book The Un-TV and the 10MPH Car. McGrane makes the case that students have been trained to follow and become good at school - but not at learning. Their curiosity and excitement for learning has been squashed by a system that rewards docility and conformity. Rather than taking initiative for their own learning, students expect the teacher to provide them with exactly what they need - "Just tell me what to do," is the attitude.
