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[transpocrepresentation]

(5th Post) Trans WoC Making Waves in Film : Mya Taylor, Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, and the Power of Tangerine  

In comparison to television and streaming services, film(s) have a long way to go in getting their representations of trans people and stories correctly. Very few movies with any trans or gender variant characters that receive any sort of mainstream recognition or awards appeal and if they do cis-gender actors get the praise for their portrayal of trans characters. The 2015 indie film Tangerine goes against the grain in being genuine in its representation of the lives of trans women of color. Not only that, but the film was an indie hit and was a critical success. That success aimed mostly at the film’s two leads, Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez. 

What is amazing about this movie, is the trust put into trans individuals who shared their stories to help shape the movie and make it as realistic as possible. This trust was also put in the hands of the stars who carried this movie, and it was both women’s first acting role. The fact that the budget was limited, but that’s not the focus of this (but it does show that studios are cautious to invest in the stories of trans people). But through the process of crafting the stories the (cis white) filmmakers looked at the trans people in the community to help shape their story. And this story also sheds the light on the lives of sex workers, regardless of gender. But the film gets a plus for looking at the intersections of peoples lives.   

That leads to a pivotal point, that this movie is just more than the gender of it’s leads (and extras), it has a plot that goes beyond “transgender”, that is just an aspect of the characters (that does play into the situation these characters are in though). In a piece by The Advocate writer Daniel Reynolds looks at the film like this, “ Tangerine is ultimately a story about two friends who overcome obstacles together…it may be one of the most human stories of the year.” He continues, “the friends happen to be transgender sex workers searching for a cheating pimp is just icing on the cake.” Unlike other films it doesn’t make a spectacle of the trans aspect of the film. 

This film is also groundbreaking in the recognition the lead actresses got from critics, that resulted in award nominations and victories. Both Taylor and Rodriguez were nominated for “Breakthrough Actor” at the 2015 Gotham Independent Film Awards, with Taylor ultimately winning the category and became the first trans women to win a Gotham award. And on a much more mainstream stage both received acting nominations at 31st Annual Independent Spirit Awards (Taylor for “Best Supporting Female” and Rodriguez for “Best Female Lead”), in which Taylor also took home the trophy. Which was a big deal as Taylor became the first trans actress to win a major acting award. There was also a campaign to get the women nominated for Academy Awards, which would have been historic as a trans actor or actress has never been nominated. These were huge strides for trans people of color in the media, as a light was shed on the trans talent there is in acting (and the trans talent in people of color). Which is a good comparison to the trans stories and cis-actors who got recognition. Neither Taylor or Rodriguez got the Oscar nomination (or anyone of color for that matter, but that’s a whole other issue), but Eddie Redmayne did get a nomination for his performance as Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl again showing the white cis actor get all the praise for their performance as gender variant or trans individuals. This also draws parallels to Hilary Swank and Jared Leto’s Oscar winning performances trans-masculine Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry and the fictional character Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club , award winning and praised performances for a cis people’s portrayal of a real trans person and a fictional one.  

Regardless of the awards outcome, Tangerine has left it’s mark and shown that intersectional stories with non-cis leads can succeed and resonate with audiences. Taking a chance on trans people of color can pay off and the results can be happily surprising. Reynolds had this to say about the film’s impact, “ Taylor and her co-star Kitana Kiki Rodriguez have helped turned what might have remained a well-reviewed but little-recognized indie movie into a movement… these trans actresses are speaking frankly about their past experiences as sex workers in order to help move the needle. And they’re not afraid to address those who criticize Tangerine”

-Michael 

Photo Credit

Helpful Articles Used in This Post: http://www.advocate.com/film/2015/12/29/tangerines-stars-have-turned-movie-movement 

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/28/mya-taylor-tangerine-spirit-awards

[hedonde-blog]

It is really cool to read several of our classmates talk about this film in relation to their different projects. I agree whole-heartedly with the analysis that this movie isn't really about trans people. It's just a story about sorority that happens to have transgender characters. I think that is one of the elements that makes the narrative so powerful. Transgender characters are often portrayed as flat; in that, the only important quality is that they are transgender. It is nice to see that set aside to explore other facets in transgender experience in an intersectional way. It's exciting to see the movie is up for an award and that it's getting so much attention!

[femmeb0i]

Sixth Post: Appropriation

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about diving deeper into the contributions of transgender/gender variant black youth is how it is celebrated today. With the follow of Stonewall, more gay clubs emerged, and it was there that the inception of drag, vougeing, other celebrations of gender difference came about. Somehow, these practices trickled out of the post Stonewall era gay clubs and fell into the hands of the appropriating white ciswoman monster herself, Madonna. In the eighties, Madonna stripped down all of the flavor and integrity of vogueing, all of the aspects that made it so fabulous because it was a celebration of difference, and packaged it to a mainstream white cisgender audience with her name on it.

Now she is heralded as the creator of this style of dance. Black trans youth contribute to pop culture endlessly and are still swept under the rug to this day. Take the movie Stonewall, which attempted to retell the events that transpired at Stonewall Inn. This recent film release contained no main characters of color, and the protagonist is a white gay male, quite far off from Marsha Johnson’s dark skinned black trans womanhood.

Why is it that society continues to try and push transgender people of color out of a culture that they invented? In the day and age of social media, youth are in constant conversation with one another, there is no hiding the truth of trans history anymore. Why it is that media still attempts to erase when there are less ways for this to be acceptable?

[hedonde-blog]

It is interesting that you first described this process of appropriation as a "celebration". It seems like the process hinges not on celebrating actual experiences, but on selling neatly packaged, white-washed effigies. We see that Stonewall wasn't even celebrated until the corporate, politicized pride parade made it palatable to a white, cis audience.

We see that process continuing even today as calls to make pride "family friendly" are getting louder and louder. Really? An act celebrating a riot needs to be family friendly? I can't help but wonder what other artifacts of trans culture are being lost in an attempt to package it up and appropriate it for the consumer class.

Besides, in Madonna's Vogue, the dance is stripped way from its authenticity, and as you said: its flavor. It's no longer a celebration of our community's heritage. Frankly, the dancers look bored.

[transgenderyouthandjustice-blog]

Post 2: Transgender Women and Survival Sex

The Transgender Advisory Committee and the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions conducted a study in which to analyze the life experiences and HIV risk behaviors in young transgender women. This study was conducted in Chicago and Los Angeles with 151 transgender women between the ages of 15 and 24. Research, that led to this study, has shown that the high rates of transgender women engaging in sex work has led to being the highest contributor in the spread of HIV within this community. A previous study conducted in Los Angeles discovered that in its 244 transgender participants sex work was the primary source of income for 50% of the participants.   Throughout this study is was found that most transgender women engaged in sex work in order to provide basic necessities, such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. Most of the transgender women spoken to said that they found it hard to find jobs due to transphobia and in addition many of their families were not supportive so there were no other alternatives than to participate in sex work. Unemployment due to discrimination among transgender women is also an intersectional issue. 61% of transgender women of color report difficulty when searching for employment. In connection, 39% of African American transgender women from this study admit to participating in sex work, 38% of Latina transgender women, and 18% of white transgender women.   High rates in sex work among transgender women will in turn result in high rates of arrests of transgender women. There is a direct correlation between homelessness and arrests in transgender women. 43% report being homeless at one time or another and 52% report to having been in the correctional system. The overall results of transgender youth contracting HIV was 19%. This is significantly higher compared to the overall population of the United States youth contracting HIV at 1%. Within this study it was also found that youth that engaged in sex work were 4 times more likely to have HIV. Within this study transgender youth who had engaged in sex work and also had HIV jumped to 23%. Although I found this study to be extremely informative and eye opening it was also disheartening. It was disheartening to see how much discrimination and prejudice can affect others. Transphobia has driven transgender youth into unsafe sex work that can result in HIV and this will be the result of 19% of the transgender population. We must build better resources and support groups for transgender youth in order to make a healthier and more compassionate society. We must learn to treat others like human beings. 

Scholarly Source: AIDS and Behavior, October 2009, Volume 13, Issue 5, pp 902-913

[hedonde-blog]

This research and source is important to see. In research for my own project, meta-analysis of sex work research shows that within sex-work research, transgender sex workers are under represented. Seeing such a study that focused on transgender persons, comprehensively looking at conditions of entry and interactions with the prison- and medical-industrial complexes, is amazing.

It is interesting to note that the problems noted in the article relating to interactions with various institutions were caused by sex work's exclusion from those institutions. That is to say, for example, that the high rate of arrests of sex workers is mirrored in their exclusion from police protection. Additionally, unemployment being a main, material condition of entry to sex work suggests that an exclusion from work opportunities (that would be available to others) provides a specific strain on the transgender community

[bfgws294-blog]

POST 3

Androgyny in Fashion

Winter of 2015

Gucci, Proenz Schouler, & Chanel feature men walking down Women’s runways.

Givenchy, Giorgio Armani, Saint Laurent, Raf Simmons, & Moschino had Women walk down Men’s runways.

The distinction between man and woman is disappearing, aesthetically at least. This is a big facet of our culture right now.  LAZARO HERNANDEZ OF PROENZA SCHOULER

[hedonde-blog]

Androgyny in popular culture is an interesting phenomenon. On one hand, it is interesting to see the blurring of traditionally very gendered roles: that is to say, models on the catwalk are the de jure epitome of bourgeois gender. Seeing this destabilization is really cool. On the hand, this "androgyny" just looks like women wearing men's fashion with a women's cut. Of course, this transgression of who's wearing whose clothing is subversive, but is men's fashion really gender neutral (or, I suppose bigender, if we want to be a grecopedant)?

That's not to say, again, that is isn't progress. We're opening the stage to conversations. Wilchens might ask, "What new signs are used to construct a gendered body?" Are these androgynous models being read as strictly androgynous? or does the appeal here come from (assumedly) female models using male signs? In either case, Wilchens would probably call this an exploration of genderqueerness. Awesome to consider - the fashion industry is one of those top-down producers of gender: genderqueerness from a social institution is bound to trickle down the societal ladder. Or - Reaganomics to consider - is this just a bourgeois fashion fad?

[ef-gws294-blog]

Post 7: Course Reflection

What I’ve learned from GWS 294 is how to engage in a dialogue respectfully. Because gender-identity, how we engage with it (how we talk about it and the terms we use) changes over time, I think one of the most useful skills I’m taking from this course is the ability to talk about gender in an open, honest, and informative way.

I don’t think I was as attuned to the issues that exist within the gender variant community as I was with the feminist community. I think this class has reinforced for me the idea that feminism as a movement needs to be more open to dialogue with its communities. That kind of engagement would encourage more productive coalitions, which I think is still a struggle for the movement. And I think that I will continue to increase my knowledge of this area of study by seeking out more conversations and more lines of communication concerning these topics.

[hedonde-blog]

I really like the idea of viewing gender (as a capital-t Thing) as something that changes over time. Thinking to Saussure and the structuralists, the diachrony/synchrony distinction seems really relevant. That is, we can look at gender throughout history (diachronically) but also in our current society (synchronically) - and come to very difference conclusions. Realizing this, like we've done in this class, helps us reach - like you've said - open and honest dialogue.

It seems like a lot of people in the reflection posts are talking about the intersectionality of the class! Engaging in issues that non-gender variant and transgender people don't know about is a really rewarding part of this class.

[sarahyjaquez-gws294-blog]

Reflection

This class helped me understand what it really is to be a transgender in this society. Before this class I did not know a lot of about transgender people. I did not know about the discrimination they face and how society pushes to them to make risky decisions. As a class we went to see a health panel, in the health panel I started to understand the struggles transgender people have to deal in the medical system. Simple activities for transgender people are as twice as hard. I can not imagine how uncomfortable it is to get your gender mistaken.

           When doing my blog project, I also learned about the reasons why transgender people are forced into sex work. Sex work for many is the only option to surviving. Discrimination in the work force leads transgender people to the sex work industry. It is interesting to see how other factors such as class and race play an important factor in the live choices a person makes. Also in this society transgender people are stigmatized and it is a system in which what is not accepted gets pushed away.

           This class opened my eyes and made me realize that transgender studies is a more complex topic. When I signed up for this class I thought we were only going to study about transgender but later on I realized that transgender, race, and class all are related. After taking this class I will now understand that discrimination does exist and even though I do not see it everyday there is many aspects in society that need to change.

[hedonde-blog]

I think it is very easy to assume we know about a disadvantaged group, and I'm glad that this class was here to diversify and destabilize what we thought we knew. I agree that the texts we read were intersectional on race and class from the very beginning: Stryker included in her introduction a conscientiousness of her own whiteness and the whiteness of academia. I wish more pillars of academia took a similar approach - or at least gave a portion of their stage to authentic or non-ethnocentric narratives.

I'm glad to see your interest in sex work, too! I look forward to reading your project. The ways in which discrimination in one part of our lives is inextricable from the others. I'm not sure I would call sex work a categorically "forced-into" group. However, the stigma and criminalized nature of sex work can create circumstantial barriers to exit once one enters - much less upward mobility within the field.

[hedonde-blog]

7th Post: Reflection

What have I learnt this semester? A lot. I've learned about theory, community building and organization. The beginning of the semester supplied me with multiple frameworks of understanding gender per se, and applying such a definition to describe what might be transgender. Although I am still on the fence about a consistent, analytical or "logical" definition of transgender, I feel that this is part of the game. Social institutions are generally assumed as natural and biological, and as such resist logocentric underpinning. That being said, such an exploration of Stryker, Wilchinss and Bornstein have giving me excellent vocabulary not only to describe transgender phenomena, but also to apply them to the field of rhetoric.

Besides purely linguistic work, this course has taught me much about the coalition building necessary for activism to help alleviate material circumstances. Particularly striking to me was Spade's article on the whitewashing of narratives of victimhood. By critically examining the role of sympathy in remembrance ritual, we saw how sympathy disarms rather than calls to arms. It is a good reminder to step away from weepy pathos-centric rhetorical arguments when remembering otherwise is necessary. De-subjugating knowledge and relearning the public history seems to be necessary in moving forward.

[transstudieskat-blog]

I went to see Body/Courage and blew my mind. This show was enacted by one woman and told the stories of many people from all walks of life. The stories centered around the relationships people have with their bodies. Her own stories take stage and bring her cultural background.

I found this event to be incredibly touching on the level of trying to see our own beauty. Pinnock tells the story of a man who was training his body to be strong for a sport, gets rejected from the team, and goes on to save a woman’s life. This story really seems to show the value that people can find in their own body, something that gender variant people can struggle in seeing.

Pinnock at one point says, while in character of a transwoman, “I don’t have the perfect body as a woman, but I didn’t as a man either.” This to me made me see that gender variant people do not strive to be in a perfect body, but to be in one that is comfortable to them.  

Lastly, I feel that the play overall shows that body image issues that people seem to reserve only for women and complex and affect people of genders and non genders. I think that this play opens up the ways in which afflictions and pride in bodies shape society. If we were more open and accepting of all bodies gender queer folk might be more represented and accepted. 

[hedonde-blog]

Thank you for this post: I was really upset that I couldn't see the performance. The destabilization of classical gender markers, such as a man who cannot make sports being invalidated, is really welcome. I really appreciate the idea that idealization, for any body, is unattainable. The media throws very unrealistic expectations for transition and beyond. The attention that all bodies, trans or cis, face image issues is a great take-away.

[gp528-blog]

HerStory Viewing and Panel

The event was a viewing of the episodes of the series “Herstory.” Each episode was approximately 10 minutes long and it was followed by a Q & A with the cast (who we did not would be there!) with questions from the moderator, S followed by questions from the audience. The episodes revolved around the dating lives of trans and queer women and their relationships with one another. I absolutely loved the event. The episodes first and foremost, were well-written and had wonderful acting. I found myself in disbelief when it ended because I wanted there to be more. In all honesty the only thing I can say that I disliked was the fact that I felt it was not long enough. All the women were so thoughtful in their responses and it felt like a very loving and caring environment and it was apparent that they all held a deep respect for one another.

Jen stated that the show was developed via trans talent. In what she described as a “top to bottom” structure, the majority of the people working on the film from the director to the sound editors to some of the composers were trans. This is an important instance of “by us for us” at work. As Jen said, there is no shortage of trans talent. Someone in the audience also asked about the inclusion of gender non-conforming people and they stated that when the material can be introduced organically then they will be but they emphasized the importance of sharing one’s own experiences so anyone who has a story to tell may tell it. There was also the discussion of disclosure and when and where one may draw the line. There may be some individuals who may identify as somewhere on the spectrum and feel no particular way about being misgendered but others, as Jen revealed, may read themselves differently depending who they are with. 

[hedonde-blog]

I'm glad you enjoyed the show as much as I did! The trans story by trans people aspect of the production was really inspiring. When Richards called bullshit on the lack of trans talent to represent trans persons, she had the series to back it up!

I felt like Richards' discourse was very nuanced, especially when the non-binary question got brought up. It's really common for, in trans community identity politics, non-binary individuals to conflate themselves with binary trans persons. Richards did great by bringing up the material differences of the two identities and relating them to passing privilege.

[hedonde-blog]

Gender-related Event: Her Story

The UIC Gender and Sexuality Center hosted a showing of Her Story, a six-part webseries following the lives and dating adventures two trans women in LA. Many TV programs and movies offer the story of late-life transition of a white middle-upperclass woman, but Her Story subverts this trope and stars Violet and Paige as two young women without fixating on transition as a pillar of identity. That is not to say the story is without conflict, nor is it erasing of their identities as trans women. While disclosure is a central to Paige's narrative, the series covers topics as broad as intimate partner violence, drug use, sex work and trans-exclusionary sectarian feminism.

I really appreciated Her Story. I am presented with rife stories about transitioning and the hardships and timeline that comes with it. More often than not, these narratives end with the main character having completed their transition, or a happily-ever-after-Disney ending. Her Story was unique (to me, at least) in delivering an in medias res fully-functioning trans community (if only of a few people). It highlighted the community dynamic of the trans community, without spelling out an origin story for a cis-audience.

[transstudieskat-blog]

In the article “Send in the Clowns” by Kate Bornstein, we learn about Bornstein’s defense to the ways in which society tries belittle and humiliate the gender variant community. She refers to these individuals as “fools”. The “fools” are those who are often seen as the trouble makers in our society. Those who freely take hold of their gender variant identities can perform twith making strides for the community. They are people who rebel against the humiliation and violence in a way that leads and inspires without taking themselves too seriously. 

I made a personal connection with this article because as I read Bornstein’s descriptions of what the fool does and is I felt that it was a form of activism that does not get taken seriously. In a sense, a lot of people assume that when there is a movement by a marginalized group of people that it should serious and jargon heavy and violent, but Bornstein brings up all the people who can laugh at the rules. I really liked that later in the semester after the trans health panel someone said that one of the panelist could be an example of what Bornstein described. This panelist was doing serious work, but embodied this because they didn’t hold themselves up to a higher place than the rest of the community that they helped. I also felt that a lot of work that i do for my communities is performance based and I really that is being acknowledged.

[hedonde-blog]

This article, though short, is extremely dense and pithy in its profundity. "Fool" as activist is definitely, as you point out, an under-appreciated form of activism. Even though many people see marginalized issues and studies as something "to be taken seriously", authors like Bornstein answer back "taken seriously by whom?" By destabilizing this notion, Bornstein has made transgender studies, as a discipline (in my opinion) much more approachable and accessible. It can be boring (for a lack of a more polite derision) to sit down and read theory and big-word-academia (not to mention able- and classist to assume your audience understands your language). It is for this reason that I chose Wilchins for my article: it's funny, fun to read, and accessible - all without losing its theory!

[mezcalconcafe-blog]

4th Post: A Course Reading 

Eli Clare’s “Resisting Shame: Making Our Bodies Home” talks about the shame that people feel on their bodies, especially trans, gender non-conforming, and people with disabilities. Trans people often feel shame when it comes to their bodies and as a result they tend to look at their “trans-ness [as] a birth defect,” (459). Framing trans identity as a disability not only pathologizes trans identity but it also erases disability as an actual issue. Clare also discusses how trans people describing their “trans-ness” as a defect and claiming that they want the same health benefits as people with disabilities is problematic because once again it ignores the issues that people with disabilities face and erases the fact that they also endure inequality in the healthcare system.

I felt a connection to Clare’s article because the feeling of shame is central to a lot of issues. Clare mentions trans identity and disability, but it is also central to issues of sexuality and race. Getting at the root of why people feel shamed in their bodies can help to unravel and expose systems of oppression. This article helped to explain other reasons for the health disparities in gender variant people and how a lot of it is rooted in shame and how that affects mental health. This article also did a great job of highlighting how comparing trans identities to disabilities is problematic and it should be a take away from this article.

Link to article, click here.

[hedonde-blog]

I really appreciated both your choice of article and your understanding of the article. I also had a particular reaction to this article: in the past I connected trans-ness to my understanding of the social theory of disability. I wondered if this is related to my own feeling of shame living in a transgendered body. shame was a great point to focus on in the article, and I agree with your takeaway of dissociating it from our understandings of transgender phenomena.

[hedonde-blog]

Response to A Certain Kind of Freedom: Power and the Truth of Bodies-Four Essays on Gender, Riki Wilchins

In Wilchins' collection of essays on the theory and experience of Gender spins the plates of logos, ethos and pathos while spelling-out what gender is and is not. S/he prepares several emotionally charged - but academic - explanations of gender, only to prepare equally evocative counterarguments. While Wilchins poises hirself to empower and unite genderqueers, central to hir argument is pluralism: s/he recognizes that "Knowledge marches to the beat of power," and seeks to destabilize and authoritative voice that would command a definition of gender and genderqueerness. Unique to Wilchins' theory (among other is hir attention to plurality. The narrative through which Wilchins pulls the reader draws from many big-name post-modern - queer authors: Foucault, Wittig, de Beauvoir, and Butler - among others. Doing each justice, using each authentically to dismantle respective parts of the sex-gender-body tryad, s/he rejects any individual experience as the unitary Truth with-a-capital-T. Finally (and actually quite early in the suite), s/he focuses on a power-oriented, linguistic definition of a genderqueer: "people for whom some link in the feeling/expression/being-perceived fails." I am, perhaps, most fond of Wilchins' exploration of gender: I find it funny, authentic and coming from a place of wisdom and pain. Not rooting gender-variance (indeed, if Wilchins' definition is as wide-sweeping as it is claimed, gender-variance is a subset of genderqueerness) in difference-from or apart-from some material gender-thing, genderqueerness seems (maybe paradoxically) a more nuanced tool with which to dissect gender per se. The way in which this nebulous end-defintion of genderqueerness is so powerful is its pithy epistemological foundation. At once, for Wilchins, gender is linguistic and psycho-social. Full of language game power plays and bottom-up - top-down structure, Wilchinean gender offers (what I feel to be) a full foundation upon which to discursively explore gender. Not only does Wilchins heartily explore what gender is in vitro, s/he explore why this does not work for the genderqueer in vivo. The institutions of gender, in order for them to be institutions in the first place, are universal. And, their universality is applied via forced assimilation: that which is not of the binary of gender, is not real. Genderqueerness, being an individual freedom (an escape from the bounds of the universal), is unique and private. To promote a genderqueerness would be to promote an individual experience thereof -and not THE genderqueerness- and we would be in the same problem again. We look further to Bassichis, Lee, and Spade (for example) to contradict this process-base and create transgender phenomena together, and not as an oppressive universal-individual.

[mezcalconcafe-blog]

Blog Post 3: Trans Health Panel

The Trans Health Panel touched on many issues such as what constitutes as “essential” healthcare to cultural sensitivity training for healthcare providers. A main topic was access; who has access to healthcare, hormones, and/or information. I really enjoyed the panel because it was very informative, yet easy to comprehend. When it comes to talking about health it is often in clinical language that not many understand. However, this panel addressed many issues and was very informative without the clinical language. 

Through this panel I learned about GENDA (Gender Expression Non-Discriminatory Act). I was unable that this had passed in New York but it is very important to be informed about it because it is very impactful. GENDA protects gender identity and expression from hate crimes or discrimination in housing, employment, etc.

I appreciated the discussion about language because as mentioned by Caprice, not everyone has access to clinical language or even the language to express themselves. When it comes to healthcare, it is important that healthcare providers make sure to use language and terms that can be understood by patients. It is also important that healthcare providers use terms that a patient has used to described their self, instead of imposing terminology on them.

Representation. Part of making a patient comfortable and making sure that the patient is cared for, is representing them on documents. It is useful for a patient to walk in and see themselves represented in pamphlets or posters. Similarly, medical documents should have a “buffet” of options when it comes to gender identity or expression to make sure a patient can see themselves represented in a document.

More on GENDA here.

[hedonde-blog]

I can tell that you took strong notes: the three points you took aware were reminding me some of the things I missed. I really appreciated Carthan's phrasing of a "buffet of options" on medical/otherwise forms. Representation is an important institutional aspect for transgender patients. My notes totally missed the GENDA discussion, and I'm definitely going to be looking further into it for my final blog project. Thank you!

[innerstrawberryruins-blog]

Trans Health Panel

I really enjoyed the trans health panel as it was very informative and covered a few different points of view. The panelists discussed important topics regarding trans health and the struggles trans people face when seeking healthcare. They pointed out the many flaws with the healthcare system and the treatment of trans patients by the doctors and staff. Issues with insurance companies (regarding obtaining insurance and what they will and will not cover) were also discussed. 

I liked how there were a few different perspectives presented at this panel. All the panelists were well educated on this topic and each had great points to include in the discussion. I really liked the idea of people being given a “buffet” of options when filling out paperwork at the doctor’s office or with insurance companies. Being able to clearly identify yourself on these documents is very important because you always want to make sure you’re getting the right treatment/check ups/procedures for you. 

There was much to learn from the panelists overall, but there were a few things that really stuck out to me. The idea that “passing” can be considered harmful was one thing. Not everyone wants to pass as one gender or another and forcing that in the medical setting (or any setting) is not helpful to anyone. The discrimination gender variant people face when visiting the doctor or interacting with insurance companies is alarming. People being discouraged to visit a doctor is a huge issue that needs to be sorted out. The doctor’s focus should be to help the individual coming in for care and not on how they feel about that individual. I also found it quite alarming that when people could not get hormones from a doctor they would go to the streets for them. There are so many problems with the way healthcare providers treat trans people (or gender non-conforming people). Seeing a doctor for any kind of care should not be feared (preventative care being very important). The panelists spoke about how doctors, staff, and insurance providers (anyone interacting with patients) should all go through training on how to interact with all patients.

[hedonde-blog]

Thanks for your post! I agree that the panel was very informative - I learned a lot. I appreciate, too, that the panelists were diverse not only in identity, but their connection to the medical field. I like that you noted that the passing narrative is hard for many trans patients, and it was refreshing to see medical professionals recognizing it being problematic. Additionally, thank you for writing about access to hormones and how some trans persons gain access to them unsafely - I didn't catch that in my notes.

[hedonde-blog]

Trans Health Panel, Feb 25

Despite keeping regular company of queer and transgender friends, this was my first academic, medical experience with transgender health. I was excited to see such a diverse panel. There were activists, medical professionals - both administrative and clinical - and researchers. The tone was mostly conversational, and one panelist in particular, Caprice Carthans, was able to keep information both exciting and accessible.

A topic addressed very early during the panel is that the medical needs of the transgender community is holistic: not only is surgical intervention but one need of a transgender person, it is rarely the most pressing and is never their only need. The panel continued to expound on further needs of a transgender person while navigating the medical community. Certain panelist noted discrete, material needs: Margo Bell listed referrals to other doctors, voice coaches and lessons and the possible desire for permanent hair removal options. Other panelists spoke on the more nebulous needs: community, cultural competency and institutional reform.

One topic in particular that stood out to me was the need for institutional policy reform in order to address the needs of trans patients. I have recently become interested in transformative justice: although it is easy to direct our anger, for example, at Margo Bell when she accidentally misgendered another panelist, it should be much more offensive to us when the panel elucidated that at no point in medical school do professionals receive trans-specific training. Without making demands of institutional support from what is formally the gate-keeper of the medical community, it seems furtive to direct ourselves to individuals therein. Besides training, there is a need to recode health needs and conditions. In order for insurance to properly support medical procedures (which, in itself is a problem) doctors need to code them in order to bill. When the medical industry is using a decades-old version of the ICD, it is almost impossible to properly code the needs of trans patients.

Besides policy reform, there is a need for an institutional reform in order to provide access to extant resources and services. Two such examples are the use of language, and the provision of trans health by the UIC Campus Care. Carthans talked about how the overly clinical language used by doctors can turn off trans patients of color who are not previously exposed to such language. Such an experience can leave a patients confused and no better off than when the made the decision to come in for care. Making language more accessible to patients and "speaking their language" helps to make the patient more comfortable and identify with a medical space. With Campus Care, although it was provisioned that the campus health insurance would cover certain needs of trans students, there were no policies put in place to help students navigate that world, or to inform patients of their needs and rights within the system.

Finally, improving institutional processes that increase access to transgender patients and their trust of the medical community is orders of magnitude more important when considering the higher risks of health complications of trans persons in general. Higher rates of HIV among trans persons necessitates a higher than average access to care and education. Not only physical, but mental health is disproportionately at risk for trans persons: rates of suicide as at least four times higher among trans persons and youth. The injustice of institutional barriers to entry is only magnified when the community barred from access is in higher need than the general population.

[jmorin3-blog]

Incorporating Gender Variance in Gender Studies

Jenna Morin

       The first step to studying anything gender related is understanding that gender is a socially constructed concept meaning that it is not something that is innate but rather learned and created in society. Gender is usually taught from a young age in the form of a binary concept meaning we only think girls and boys/ males and females exist. It is more commonly known and expressed now that there are actually in fact many terms and identities that refer to gender and how people “do” their gender. Due to there being so many terms, there are also what are called “umbrella terms” which are terms that encompass many terms within. For example, gender variance is an umbrella term referring to folks that have a gender identity that does not specifically align within the confines of maleness or femaleness but more so their interpretation of how their gender is best expressed. I feel this is a solid definition for gender variance because it allows people to be different from the binary but also define that difference for themselves. It also doesn’t mean that people cannot identify as male or female because it allows people to be neutral or fluid and create their own identity.

           Understanding gender variance allows us to be analytical of how we have previously socially defined gender in order to place people in one of two boxes, being female and male. This is an attempt to make gender something simple and easy to understand for folks when actually it can be very complex in terms of what is encompassed in gender. As discussed in the reading titled, “A Certain Kind of Freedom: Power and Truth of Bodies” it discussed the idea of gender including more than just boy or girl meaning we also have to look at how people express their gender and present their gender. Gender is never something that can be a single thing to understand best said in the article as, “gender never stands alone, but always seems to need a noun to refer to” (Wilchins, 23). It is important to understand what gender variance means to also understand that gender cannot just be defined by what we see or think we see.

           Including gender variance in gender studies allows for the understanding of gender as something that can be fluid and even forever changing depending on the person. This is not to say that a person can’t have one form of identifying their gender. It is more so claiming that how we define that gender can be different. For example, a person can identify as cisgender but doesn’t necessarily have to identify with very stereotype attached to that gender. Gender being fluid can have many meanings depending on if we are discussing gender identity or even expression. One could always identify as a certain gender but be fluid in their presentation and expression. This is where we see people challenging how the system of gender functions because people are not made up of a checklist of qualities assumed to align with a certain identity. If we look at gender studies with this idea of variance then we give the power to people versus a larger society to define gender for themselves. Looking at gender through this lens is crucial to giving the power and agency back to folks with other gender identities outside of the “norm” in order to change what that is defined as. As discussed in the article “An Introduction to Transgender Terms and Concepts”, society will always give privilege to and favor the groups that align with what is seen as normal, meaning the majority (Stryker, 5). Acceptance and study of gender variance allows for the shift of what is seen as a majority while refusing to perpetuate a binary system of understanding gender identity. Yes, as stated in the previous paragraph, gender is complex in terms of what people include in their gender identity however; the simple thing is accepting whatever identities might be seen as complex. If we ignore other forms of gender then we are doing the study of gender a huge injustice and only continuing the limiting view that was created before understanding possibility of a spectrum or countless ways of identifying.

[hedonde-blog]

I like that you start off your definition of gender variance simply: not conforming to normative gender roles. I wonder, though, if this is consistent with fa'afafine and two spirit people. The professor has defined them as transgender, yet their gender expression is normative within their own cultures. You move on to discuss the understanding of gender as complex and dependent on discourse. Particularly the understanding that gender only exists in relation to and in addition to our bodies and others. This aligns with how I generally understand gender, and provides a good scope into expanding the understanding.