A World of Rainbows

        "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights" (UN General Assembly art. 1) according to the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights (UDHR). However, to this day transgender people have been denied dignity and their rights in one way or another: IDs not the holder’s identity, the unrecognized status of individuals, and transphobic-fueled violence. Nevertheless, today is the most accepting times for people who identify as trans, non-binary, gender nonconforming, and gender expansive in the more liberal nations of North America and Europe; furthermore, progress is being made in Africa and especially Asia. Efforts ranging from artists raising awareness about gender-identity to state policies easing the difficulties of the transition all have helped us Americans get educated on the matter. We have to come to the realization that everyone has dignity, no matter where on the gender spectrum they fall.

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To realize “trans” in transgender, there are many loops and hoops a person has to go through. From starting to transition to changing identification documents, it takes so many resources, not everyone can afford to transition. However, the mere possibility of such change sometimes is more vital than the process itself. According to state laws as of 2018, three states—Tennessee, Ohio, and Kansas—refuse to make changes to birth certificates, twenty-four of those require sex reassignment surgery, and twenty-three requiring only an application (“State-by-State Overview” 2017).

Not everyone is able to afford to be their true self. According to Whalen, a reporter on operations, for a male to female operation, overall costs average at $41,000 and for a female to male $33,000 (Whalen 2017). This puts the individual in a never-ending struggle of identifying as one none, or both genders while being identified as another. These contradictory identities can incite violence in more transphobic communities, resulting in physical injuries and, ultimately, death. Ironically, after death, begins a binary bureaucratic procedure of documenting the harmed individual. Not fitting in one of the two categories, the system is unable to identify a person because of their looks in contrast to the gender marker of their ID. Moreover, the person is further dehumanized by police reports that describe them as “male, dressed up as a female” or using the gender and name assigned at birth. This system is fundamentally biased against people who identify as transgender. The UDHR declares “All are equal before the law” (UN General Assembly art. 7). Yet we see individuals being treated differently just based on their looks. How a person looks should not undermine their rights as a human “equal in dignity and rights” (UN General Assembly art. 1).

Chakraborty, Ranjani. “How ID Laws Can Put Trans People in Danger.” Vox, 16 August 2018. https://www.vox.com/videos/2018/8/16/17698442/id-laws-trans-people-danger-murder. Accessed 12 November 2018.

“State-by-State Overview: Rules for Changing Gender Markers on Birth Certificates.” Transgender Law Center, Apr. 2017. Accessed 12 November 2018.

Whalen, Sydney. “Gender Reassignment Surgery Cost, Insurance and Financing Options.” Zwivel, 18 July 2017, www.zwivel.com/blog/how-much-does-gender-reassignment-surgery-cost/. Accessed 12 November 2018.

UN General Assembly. "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." United Nations,217 (III) A, 1948, Paris, art. 1,http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/. Accessed 12 November 2018.

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The perspective on transgender should never be binary. Transitioning is not from zero to one or backward: male to female or the other way around; there are genders in between. As sociologists have concurred, gender is a spectrum that goes beyond the two accepted as norms in society. The simplicity of male to female—or female to male—transition is a misconception. Carol and Mendos, two human rights researchers with International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), report that in countries infamous for their homophobic conduct—like Iran, Pakistan, and China—transgender people seem to be recognized and live well, based on the statistics and policies (2017). However, the de facto laws that shape everyday life, such as interactions with police, and the public perception of their identity is still problematic.

Iran, for example, forces homosexual individuals to undergo sex reassignment surgery (SRS) (Barford 2008). On the charts, Iran gets a check for recognizing SRS, while the subjects of that procedure are not trans. This results in one of the highest transgender suicide rates in the world. In another example, India’s Supreme Court recognized sex transition this year (2018) (Gettleman et al. A1). However, statistics of anti-LGBTQ violence soar through the roof with multiple reports of lynchings, murders, and physical violence—not counting many that go unaccounted for. Mayur Suresh, a lecturer in law and a reporter for Guardian, writes about the sex-workers of India getting “gang-raped” and “two women were beaten to death by one of their nephews for being in an ‘immoral’ relationship” (Suresh 2018). This shows an issue rooted in the collective consciousness rather than only strictly law.

It is not sufficient to copy and paste the UDHR’s articles in a constitution; these universal human rights should root into cultures and manners of conduct. If not, none of its articles will actually evaluate any of the lives it so wants to protect. “Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge” (UN General Assembly preamble).Without that common understanding among nations, and peoples of those nation, this declaration is nothing but 500 words on a piece of paper.

Barford, Vanessa. “Iran's 'diagnosed transsexuals'.” BBC, 27 February 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7259057.stm. Accessed 12 November 2018.

Carroll, Aengus, and Lucas Ramón Mendos. “State-Sponsered Homophobia.” ILGA, May 2017. Accessed 12 November 2018.

Gettleman, Jeffrey, et al. “Court in India Strikes Down Gay Sex Ban.” The New York Times, A1, 6 September 2018. Accessed 12 November 2018.

Suresh, Mayur. “This is the Start of a New Era for India’s LGBT Communities.”Guardian,6 September 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/06/india-lgbt-homophobia-section-377. Accessed 22 November 2018

UN General Assembly. "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." United Nations,217 (III) A, 1948, Paris, art. 1, http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/. Accessed 12 November 2018.

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Art not only illustrates a subject, but art also educates its audience about it. Putting a spotlight on overlooked issues of our society, artists have risen to use their platform to educate people about trans rights. Micah Bazant is a trans artist living in the Bay Area, who “make[s] art as a practice of love and solidarity with trans liberation and racial justice movements to build power” (Bazant). They have many works supporting refugees, racial minorities, and the LGBTQ. One painting of Marsha Johnson, a gay-liberation leader, has become a symbol of claiming equal rights for each and every person represented in L G B T Q (Fig. 1). 

On the other side of the world, Black Hand, a street artist in Iran, has broken taboos by putting up trans and homosexual works around the capital Tehran. One work reading “I’m not scary” in Farsi and “I’m not sick” in English, is meant bring out the human behind the face with makeup and a scruff (Fig. 2). 

These works of art not only showcase the human right to freedom of thought, but furthermore seek to inform people about the issues people of transgender identity face (UN General Assembly art. 18). Problems that go as far being denied humanity or even existence in a society—the right to be recognized as a person before the law (UN General Assembly art. 12). Trans people have to be seen and recognized to gain their rights as individuals “equal in dignity and rights” (UN General Assembly art. 1)

“About.” Micah Bazant, www.micahbazant.com/about/. Accessed 12 November 2018.

Black Hand. I’m Not Scary. Tehran. http://www.irangraffiti.com/gallery/blackhand/. Accessed 12 November 2018.

Bazant, Micah. Marsha "Pay It No Mind" Johnson.2013. https://www.micahbazant.com/#/marsha-p-johnson/. Accessed 12 November 2018.

UN General Assembly. "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." United Nations,217 (III) A, 1948, Paris, art. 1,http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/. Accessed 12 November 2018.