Running head: Culturual Immersion D

Cultural Immersion Assignment D

Jeremy D. Williams
Georgia State University

Culturual Immersion D

2
Abstract

This paper explores what it means to be a member of the transgender community and clearing up
some of the common misconceptions and stereotypes about this community. This paper also
takes a look at the strengths of the community in order to gain a full view of that it truly means to
be a member of this community day in and day out. In order to do this it was crucial to look at
this group from a variety of positions and viewpoints and get a clearer understanding of them as
a whole.

Culturual Immersion D

3
Cultural Immersion Assignment D

Within the homosexual community, no group is as misunderstood more than the

transgender population. Often looked at as extremely deviant, even more so then other members
of the homosexual community, transgender individuals living in the United States have a very
unique experience unlikely shared with anyone else in the world. Hailed by some as champions
as the embodiment of the American ideas of freedom, respect, and courage, while simultaneously
being scorned by others and being seen as nothing more than a perversion and sickness.
Transgendered Culture
When trying to dive into the transgender culture it is first important to know a few
common terms. The term transgender has a more current origin as its an umbrella term that
covers transvestites (cross-dressers), transsexuals (those undergoing sexual reassignment), and
intersex (or hermaphrodite) people Brown and Tittsworth (as cited in Lum, 2011). This is
important information seeing as most people have no idea what the difference between a
transvestite person and a transsexual person is respectively. Going forward the definitions above
will be used instead of the umbrella term of transgender when referring to a member of this
specific community for clarity.
The Interview
For this cultural immersion the person who was interviewed was a thirty year old Caucasian
male who at the age of 25 had her gender reassigned to female and her name changed to Laura.
According to (Transgendered Terminology, 2014) a person who transitions from "male-tofemale," meaning a person who was assigned male at birth, but identifies and lives as a female.
They are also known as transgendered women. Laura was very enthusiastic and excited when
she was asked to participate in the interview and share her opinions on the Trans community. The

Culturual Immersion D

first questions during the interview concerned what exactly Laura enjoyed most about a member
of the trans community. She stated We go through so much so there isnt much that I would say
is a positive except the fact that I am finally able to be myself and enjoy my life the way its
supposed to be. When asked has she ever been discriminated against Laura displayed a visible
shift in attitude. Gone was the sunny and cheerful person the interview had at first shown her to
be. She visibly darkened as she answered. Mostly people just give me nasty looks because my
transition went well enough that most cant tell unless they get up really close. When asked has
she ever experienced employment discrimination because of her looks she replied with a yes. I
have a degree and work experience in my field so usually I make it to the interview part, but I
never get past that part. When asked how she has survived this long without any meaningful
employment she stated that she is often able to provide enough money for the bare essentials
working at night. This was no surprise seeing as a recent survey done by the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force found that many transgendered individuals lived in extreme poverty. Our
sample was nearly four times more likely to have a household income of less than $10,000/year
compared to the general population.(Injustice At Every, 2011)
When asked what the coming out experience was like she seemed to reluctantly reveal that it was
one of the hardest things she had ever done in her life and that it was something she had known
for a long time would eventually have to happen. She detailed how after telling her family her
plans to transition she was verbally assaulted and disowned by her family. This unfortunately is
just the ordinary life of transgendered individuals in America. Members of the LGBT community
are among the most despised groups in the country today (Adams et al., 2013). When asked what
terms she would like to be referred to as far as her sexual orientation, she stated that she would
like to be referred to as a heterosexual woman.

Culturual Immersion D

Acts of Resilience. Throughout history transgendered people have resisted the

discrimination and transphobia or the irrational fear of transgendered persons (Lum, 2011).
Despite high levels of bullying in school many individual were able to finish their education by
returning to school (Injustice at Every, 2011). Also Over three-fourths (78%) reported feeling
more comfortable at work and their performance improving after transitioning, despite reporting
nearly the same rates of harassment at work as the overall sample. (Injustice At Every, 2011).
Although the transgendered community has a long way to go until they receive equality its clear
that so far they are on the right path. Even through all the struggles the group faces they still find
a way to be resistant to the forces that threaten them and are able to carve out a piece of
happiness of their own.

Conclusion
In order to get a complete understanding of what it means to be a transgendered person in
this country it was necessary to take a look at not only some of the terminology used that
sometimes may prove confusing to none members, as well as the issues they have faced and
continue to face for doing nothing more than being themselves. Also it was crucial to bring up
the strengths of this particular group do to their increased marginalization even as we see them
making great gains. Looking at some of the problems of this community from the strengths
perspective was necessary in order for us to gain a clear picture of this group and how to best
address their needs.

Culturual Immersion D

6
References

Adams, M., Blumenfield, W., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., & Zuniga, X. (2013).
Readings for diversity and social justice (Third ed.). Routledge.
Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, Executive
Summary - The Task Force. (2011, February 3). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from
http://www.thetaskforce.org/injustice-every-turn-report-national-transgenderdiscrimination-survey-executive-summary
Lum, D. (2011). Culturally competent practice: A framework for understanding diverse groups
and justice issues (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole
Transgender Terminology. (2014, January 23). Retrieved December 7, 2015, from
http://www.transequality.org/issues/resources/transgender-terminology