Manifesto for Trans* Rights
Sebastian Lacoss
4/10/17


















Abstract:
Various facts and opinions on discrimination and dehumanization toward members of the trans* community in the United States, as well as the North Carolina Legislation commonly referred to as HB2 (2016). The analyses are paired with how the discrimination affects people who fall under the trans* umbrella socially and emotionally. Refutations for and against discriminatory acts are taken into account, and a possible reason for the discrimination in the nation is suggested. It is thought that fear may be why discriminatory laws and actions are tolerated and committed today. A potential solution to help alleviate the fears that the general public may fear toward trans*people is given. The proposed solution involves teaching children that members of the trans* community are  no different than anyone else, and deserve equal rights,  through means of pubic broadcasting. 












	Analysis of discriminatory violence against trans* people has often focused on physical and sexual assault. Some, such as John Nguyet (2013) argue that around the world, members of the trans* community are dehumanized in ways such as sexual assault, particularly in prison settings(Nguyet, 2013). Scholars such as Rylan Testa (2012)argue that trans* people, particularly those who have been subjected  to physical or sexual assault are far more likely to engage in self-destructive behaviors (Testa, et al, 2012). Others, such as Josh Corbat (2017) point out that discriminatory laws, such as North Carolina's HB2 (2016), provide trans* people with a feeling of anguish and fear, rather than a sense of protection (Corbat, 2017).  In response to this, some citizens have reported a sense of pleasure regarding discriminatory bills (Mccord, 2016).Some such as Cai Wilkinson (2014) argue that while homophobia and transphobia, along with the discrimination that accompanies them do still exist today, changes for the better are happening slowly but surely, which can be seen as good (Wilkinson, et al, 2014). Finally, these are those who oppose LGBT rights on the principle of their religious values (Mccord, 2016). These writings have fruitfully helped us to understand that trans* people, both young and old, experience discrimination and violence based on their gender identity on an almost daily basis. My essay shifts attention to how fear on both sides may very well be the cause of this discrimination and how we can stop these fears. I propose that educating ourselves, specifically through educating our children, about trans* people can help us to better come to terms with the fact that trans* people need the same respect and equal protections under the law that cisgender people do.
	Many people agree that everyone deserves the same protection under the law, but what about those who are lawless? Those who have lost their rights. What about them? Unless you watch Orange is the New Black, you probably do not think about trans* people within the prison system. They do exist, and according to John Nguyet (2013), they are dehumanized more than regular prisoners (Nguyet, 2013). Rape is a terrible part of life in prison that many inmates suffer through, but it is increasingly common among trans* prisoners (Nguyet, 2013). Prisoners have lost their right to vote, but not their basic human rights. Prisoners are still  given food, water, shelter, and ways to keep clean, why then should they not be in control of what happens to their own bodies. Most people would agree that rape is wrong, whether it happens to prisoners or not, so what makes trans* prisoners any different? Why are trans* people dehumanized more than cisgender individuals in prisons? The extra dehumanization for this population of prisoners  does not only exist in prisons, however. It is apparent that the trans* community is no stranger to discrimination in the form of assault, and the results of it are not pretty.
	In a recent study, members of the trans* community were given a survey on assaults, both physical and sexual, and the results indicated that trans* people who had been subjected to any kind of violence based on gender identity are far more likely to contemplate or attempt suicide and to abuse drugs, both legal and illegal (Testa et al, 2012). Clearly the discriminatory violence shown toward members of the trans* community is making a negative impact on the mental health of trans*individuals, which could lead to panic in the community as a whole. No one wants violence to be used against them to begin with, let alone if it could potentially mean emotional trauma, which as the statistics show, it does. This violent discrimination is causing people to wish to kill themselves, which is never a good sign,and the discrimination that is leading to all of this self-destructive behavior is not just carried out by random people, but rather by the legal system that supports it. This country, whether the people agree with the violence or not, supports legal discrimination.
	Legal and discrimination are not two words that one would typically hear used together in a sentence, yet these words put together seem to be the most appropriate way to describe North Carolina's HB2 (2016). HB2 (2016) (which was recently amended to be less discriminatory) is a law which disallows people with genders that differ from those designated on their birth certificates from using public restrooms that match their gender identity (Forest, et al, 2016). This bill also allows for employers to discriminate against LGBT people among other minorities during hiring and firing practices (Forest, et al, 2016). While it is true that many businesses reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, denying someone a job is a bit different than denying them service. If a person is unable to get a job merely based on the fact that their gender identity does not match the one on their birth certificate, they have been denied livelihood for a seemingly trivial reason. Where is the logic behind denying someone a job, which would give them the financial means to live and potentially keep them from living in the street, and by extension potentially even keep them out of prison (where they are further dehumanized)? Many say that it has to do with their religion, citing Christianity as the reason that they do not particularly care for trans* people (Mccord, 2016). Others claim that this distaste for the trans* community has to do with wanting to keep things the way they are (Mccord, 2016). Is it worth it, though, to allow for laws such as HB2 (2016) to be passed? Some may say no, others will continue to say yes, and be fine with laws that allow discrimination against members of the trans* community. These examples of  legal discrimination are very real, and could be viewed as very problematic. Laws are meant to be put into place to defend, rather than to harm, the public. These laws, however, seem to harm the constituents the constituents they are meant to be protecting. While it is true that not every citizen is a member of the trans* community, these citizens do exist and ought to be protected under the law, just like everyone else. Passing laws that only allow trans* students to use the bathroom of either their assigned gender or single use, unisex bathrooms can be harmful to students. Firstly, it can take extra time for students to even find a single-use, unisex bathroom, which not only takes away from time these students could be in the classroom, but also provides an opportunity for other students to bully these students. If a trans* student is spending time trying to find or walking to a remote single-use, unisex bathroom (i.e. in the nurse's office) gives other students a chance to harass the student. At a point in history where most trans students have been bullied over their gender identity, why would it make sense to ostracize them further by forcing them to go to the bathroom that mentally designated for trans* people (Corbat, 2017)? Furthermore, if the trans* student were to use the bathroom of the sex assigned to them at birth, it would make them and other students feel uncomfortable. The very same parents who were all for not letting trans* students use the bathroom that suits their gender identity would be upset upon learning that their daughters were going to the bathroom with a bearded, male-presenting student who was born female. This could even lead to more bullying in the bathrooms and continue the vicious cycle of harassment that most trans* teens report being subjected to (Corbat, 2017). Despite all of the discrimination supported by the law, there have been recent victories for the LGBT and trans* communities.
	In the past few years, there have been great strides for the aforementioned communities. For example, in the summer of 2015, same-sex marriage was made legal on the federal level. This was wonderful for many couples, but did not do as much for the trans* community specifically. While this was a step in the right direction, some may argue that it was not enough. Others such as Cai Wilkinson (2014) of Deakin University, and Anthony Langlois (2014) of Flinders University would argue that changes should not be happening so rapidly (Wilkinson, et al, 2014). This claim has some merit, after all, many people could be resistant to change, so slow, gradual changes would be good to help these people acclimate to the newer, more progressive world,but at what cost would this easy transition occur?  As Testa (2012) pointed out, trans* people who have been assaulted are more likely to contemplate and attempt suicide (Testa, 2012). Considering this fact weakens the argument for gradual change – the sooner the laws change, the sooner the taboo on being trans* is lifted. Once the stigma is gone, the world would hopefully discriminate less, and considering the fact that discrimination is killing people, it is high time that it stopped.
	What do  all of these forms of discrimination have in common? What ties them together and both validates and invalidates all of the claims made? One possible answer to this question is fear. The fear of God (Mccord, 2016), the fear of change, or the fear of being harassed. Perhaps fear is what is causing this divide between the cisgender and trans* communities. Many people fear the LGBT community for either religious reasons, or even simply because they are afraid of change (Mccord, 2016). This fear, however, only leads to more fear, because out of this fear comes discrimination. The discrimination, be it in the form of laws, hate speech, or even assault both physical and sexual spurs fear from the LGBT community, which, in turn, makes members of the community less willing to talk to and work with the fearful citizens. It becomes a vicious cycle. Fear spawns hate. Hate spawns fear.  In a nutshell, fear spawns more fear. But what causes the initial fear? It is possible that lack of education could create it? Indeed, a primal human fear throughout history seems to have been a fear of the unknown. Perhaps what we need to stop the cycle of fear and hate – to keep the world safe from another HB2 (2016) – is education.
	In my opinion, the best way to stop fear, and by extension discrimination, is education. It seems that when people learn about something new, they are much less likely to be afraid of it. For example, there is a child in their room at night. The child is afraid to go to sleep because there is a looming figure in the dark corners of their bedroom, so the parents come in and turn on the lights. Once the lights are on, the parents show their frightened child that the figure is nothing more than a coat rack. They then turn the lights off and on again to prove to the child that the “monster” from earlier is, in fact, a mere coat rack. The child will more than likely be much less afraid when the lights are once again extinguished. My proposal is very similar, firstly because I hope to start educating the young people of the nation. Children are the future of the country, and can influence the older people in their lives, as well as their peers. I believe that this could be accomplished through public means, specifically through public access television networks, such as PBS. This would give the children of America access to education about LGBT issues. Perhaps this could be done specifically though programs such as Sesame Street. A trans* puppet could be introduced as a regular member of the Sesame Street cast. The puppet would not be used to discuss anything explicit or too personal (such as discussing the physical aspects of being trans*), which would be an understandable fear that parents could potentially have. The puppet would simply be there to teach children that trans* people are just like them, and as such, deserve just as much respect and protection under the law as everyone else. Viewers would be encouraged to see trans* people as people, rather than bizarre outcasts. Once the children start seeing trans* people this way , they could show their parents what they have learned. This would hopefully lead to children teaching their parents and grandparents that trans* people just want to be considered equal. This could all eventually lead to a generation and their parents standing up to those who choose to discriminate against trans* people, and could possibly lead to a new generation of lawmakers putting protections for trans* people into place. While it would not be as quick a change as many would like, it would be happening far more swiftly than things are going without a program educating children about the trans* community.










References:
 	Corbat, J. (2017). When Laws Solve Problems that Do Not Exist: Transgender Rights in the Nation’s Schools. The High School Journal 100(2), 85-87. The University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved April 10, 2017, from Project MUSE database. 

	Erni, J. N. (2013). LEGITIMATING TRANSPHOBIA. Cultural Studies, 27(1), 136-159. doi:10.1080/09502386.2012.722305 

	Forest, D. J., Moore, T., & Mcrory, P. (2016, March 23). Http://www.ncleg.net/sessions/2015e2/bills/house/pdf/h2v4.pdf [PDF]. Raleigh, NC: NCleg.net. 

	McCord, E. (2016, May 15). North Carolinians Who Support 'Bathroom Law' Say They're Being Drowned Out. Retrieved April 10, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/2016/05/15/477946675/north-carolinians-who-support-bathroom-law-say-theyre-being-drowned-out 

	Testa R.J., Sciacca L.M., Wang F., Goldblum P., Bongar B., Hendricks M.L., & Bradford J. (2012). Effects of violence on transgender people. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 43(5), 452-459. doi:10.1037/a0029604

	Wilkinson, C., & Langlois, A. J. (2014). Special Issue: Not Such an International Human Rights Norm? Local Resistance to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights—Preliminary Comments. Journal Of Human Rights, 13(3), 249-255. doi:10.1080/14754835.2014.931218 
On my honor, I have not lied, cheated, or stolen any part of this paper . This work is mine. I am not aware of any infraction of the honor code.