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.
