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David Garibay

Professor Granillo

English 101

19 November 2018

Is there really a light at the end of a tunnel when you change genders?

When you change genders your chances of physical harm and getting bullied significantly

increase. Transgender people are one of the groups who are most of risk at being harmed by

society, being discriminated against and not accepted in public. Laurie Frankel the author of

“From He to She in the First Grade” who is also the mother of this young six year old boy argues

that society should be more inclusive to young children transitioning genders at a young age. By

focusing on transgenderism, Frankel overlooks the deeper problem of the possible violent attacks

and mental health affects Trans children and adults receive. Transgender people are affected by

this such as discrimination, abuse, and depression and higher suicide rates. A solution to this

problem is by educating the public more on how to be inclusive and respectful rather than just

sweeping it under the rug. If society continues to treat this matter with a grain of salt there could

be a greater loss of life or even possibly dehumanizing the transgender community.

Frankel is the mother of a transgender child and the author of the article “From He to She

in the First Grade”, Frankel who is going through this experience with her son is wanting to

teach the public on how her son was mistreated in school for being a different gender. What

Frankel also wants is to make this experience known that its not only older people who are being

abused and bullied its also transgender children. In the article “From He to She in the First

Grade” by Laurie Frankel she is explaining her story of how her son has changed genders.

Frankel also goes on to explain how her son expresses himself when they return home “He put
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on the sparkly green dress right away […] he wore the dress only when we were at home”

(Frankel 583). In this quote she is saying how her son is portraying himself as a female in the

household while in public he is a normal boy. This is showing that her son is possibly afraid of

how others will react out in public if he is seen in a dress. In society many transgender people are

seen as odd as if they weren’t “normal” since they are dressing or have dressed as the opposite

sex. Although to the mother and father it doesn’t make them feel uncomfortable although they

are afraid how society may treat him when he is out in public dressing differently. Throughout

the article Frankel is questioning if this is just an idea he had or her son will commit to wearing

the dresses for now on. Frankel mentions, “I envisioned a scenario in which he wore a skirt the

first day, got made fun of, and never wore the skirt again” (585). Frankel is trying to predict

different outcomes of how the public will treat her son because she wants to be prepared for the

worst rather than being afraid of not knowing what will happen. In the transgender community

people who are trying to transition go through a struggle because society either will not accept

them because it is seen as not normal and or possibly rejected by loved ones, or possibly being

accepted but will have to face the rest of society and will be judged by their choices. Frankel

tries to see if her son has changed his mind of wearing the dress to school in an attempt to

eradicate her fears. Frankel mentions in the article “Do we love our children best by protecting

them at all costs or by supporting them unconditionally” (586). She is questioning herself does

she want to protect her child from the harsh reality of the real world or does she just support her

son all the way. Although Frankels protection won’t stay with her son when he goes to school in

a dress. Upon arrival Frankel notices how the children are bullying him and judging him “But

there were a few who pestered him on the playground and in the hallways, who teased or pressed

[…] and would not be dissuaded by our carefully rehearsed answers” (587). The author wants to
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inform society on how her son was treated at his school although Frankel had only experienced a

minor encounter of discrimination. There are other schools that have much worse conditions

when it comes to transgender children.

In many other schools nationwide it’s not just a few laughs and finger pointing

transgender children receive it is also abuse and bullying from other children. In the article

“Harassment, Bullying, and Discrimination of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender

Students: Legal Issues for North Carolina Schools” by Hall, They will go on to explain on how

people who are transgender are being bullied and discriminated in schools. In the report it states

that “While existing statewide laws and policies do not effectively protect LGBT youth in

school, several federal statutes are described in relation to protection of LGBT students from

harassment, bullying, and discrimination” (pp1 abstract) as stated in “Harassment, Bullying, and

Discrimination of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students: Legal Issues for North

Carolina Schools” What this means is that there are a few schools who don’t have polices or

laws that protect the LGBT community. Thus without these rules people can disrespect trans

people without any consequences. If the community does not see any rules that is protecting

trans people western culture will continue treating them in poor conditions rather than

supporting. Furthermore in the article . "LGBTQ Adolescents’ Positive and Negative Emotions

and Experiences in U.S. High Schools." It states in the abstract that through their study they have

taken on a national level of 16,000 high school students and asked a question if lgbtq people had

positive or negative emotions, from their peers. In this study it has indicated that “LGBTQ

adolescents reported significantly more frequent negative emotions and bullying, consistent with

previous research” this goes to show that many students who are part of the lgbtq group do not
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feel as though their fellow school members which can lead them to being excluded or even

ignored to the point that society sees them as inferior to the community.

This is crucial about societies beliefs because it can mean a few things the state does not

accept the lgbt people or it is not a high priority for them. This is a serious matter because there

are large amount of children who are trans and do not get the protection they need when they are

harmed in schools as stated in the article “Harassment, Bullying, and Discrimination of Lesbian,

Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students: Legal Issues for North Carolina Schools”.

Transgender people get rejected a lot in school for being different. Since this school does not

have a policy where it protects special populations like this these children can go into depression

over time because of the violent attacks they encounter. Consequently these children will slip

into depression when they get older in life from not being accepted by society. If this problem

continues the Transgender community will go farther into depression and also fear how society

will think of them. This can and possibly will lead to abuse from others or even ultimately they

can take their own lives.

People who are transgender or in the process of transitioning genders possibly have

already experienced depression. The causes for depression are from abuse from societies that

don’t accept their beliefs or have also physically abused them thru out their life time.

Transgender People who go into depression have the sense of not being important or relevant to

significant others. Also transgender people also face rejection by loved ones because their views

aren’t normal to them. Both young and mature ages of transgender people experience depression

although the older people who are transgender have a much harder time. While children get

bullied for whom they are adults are excluded from certain events or gatherings. While society

claims they are inclusive reality is that through the experience of transgender people they say
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otherwise. Many of the work places have a unsettling feeling about transgender people. While

this is very discriminatory because you can lose your job just for being transgender this is not

fair. Society as we know it must be more inclusive because without this many transgender people

can fall into deeper depression some may very well take their own life because people don’t treat

them with the equality they deserve.

When the public acts against something they believe or don’t believe in it can have sever

affect with what they are trying to communicate. In the article “Why Can’t We All Just Get

Along: How the U.S. And Netherland Governments Respond to Social Issues and Change - the

Transgender Community” by HYSLOP, Chelsea. She goes on to explain on the survey that the

national center for transgender equality and the national gay and lesbian task force found that

around 60% of transgender people have experienced discrimination. The study from the article

“Why Can’t We All Just Get Along: How the U.S. And Netherland Governments Respond to

Social Issues and Change - the Transgender Community” has also collected information that

over 41percent of transgender people have attempted suicide which is 25 time higher than the

general public. This stats are important because this is a large amount of life that has been lost no

human should be taking their own life because they aren’t accepted by a certain group or the

public. In another report by the American foundation for suicide prevention found in their studies

that not only transgender people have been attempting or committing suicide at higher rates, as

well as being rejected from certain services when they need them. According to their research

over 60% of transgender people are rejected by doctors to receive care from them. This is

outrageous nobody should be subject to being rejected for health care just because of their

thought process is different from another person. With this rejection from the public many go

into depression and they have the feeling of nobody helping them in the end. Transgender people
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clearly face many barriers in their life its not just the act of transitioning that makes it difficult

it’s how the society treats it. When a person is transitioning genders they don’t only go through a

sex change and physical dress style and much more it is also how society will portray them.

Some parts of the society view transgenderism as something that is not needed in their

community. While others believe it is needed so people can express them self’s freely without

any barriers. Eventually society much change their ways and learn to accept or even just cope

with people who have different mindsets than others and also educate the public about this.

Our society is to blame for these loses of life to people who have done nothing wrong.

But it is our lack of being inclusive that is withholding us from moving on in the future. The

public should be open to teaching young children to be inclusive of people who have different

mind sets than us. We as humans naturally freak out and deliberately attack anything that is

unknown to us and when transgenderism came along people where scared because they didn’t

know what it was. Thus people where dehumanizing transgenders because of their different

thought process. This should stop because this will not be going any time soon so as society

transforms they should learn to how to accept trans people because they are humans as well after

all. Furthermore the work places should have a non-discriminatory policy in their work area. The

reason for this is because people may feel uncomfortable when working with a person who has a

different way of thinking but this should be eradicated. Work places should not have a bias

toward transgender people even if they are doing their jobs correctly. If the person feels

uncomfortable about being near a trans person they shouldn’t be able to complain to their boss to

fire the transgender person instead they should hold meetings in order all the workers are on the

same page on being inclusive in the working space.


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As a result if the trans gender community will continue being mistreated by western

culture and there will be severe repocutions. Transgender children may face bullying out in

public or schools which will cause some depression in the few. Which will later on lead to abuse

when they get older and thus will fall into deeper depression. Society will be at fault when there

is a loss of life because of the mistreatment the transgender community receives. Although is

society des change its tradition of abuse and ridiculing they can ultimately be united and have a

balanced western society.


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Works Cited

Frankel , Laurie. “From He to She in First Grade”. They say/I say, edited by Gerald Graff, Cathy

Birkenstien, Russel Durst , 4E, W.W Norton & company , 2018, pp 583-588.

HYSLOP, CHELSEA. “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along: How the U.S.
And Netherland Governments Respond to Social Issues and
Change - the Transgender Community.” Indiana International &
Comparative Law Review, vol. 28, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 31–62.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.18060/7909.0055.

Bojarski, Emeric, and Zheala Qayyum. “Psychodynamics of Suicide in


Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender Youth.” Journal of Infant,
Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy, vol. 17, no. 3, July 2018, pp.
178–186. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/15289168.2018.1480202.

Hall, Will. “Harassment, Bullying, and Discrimination of Lesbian, Gay,


Bisexual, and Transgender Students: Legal Issues for North
Carolina Schools.” Online Submission, Jan. 2007. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED49
8254&site=ehost-live.

Tucker, Raymond P., et al. “Hormone Therapy, Gender Affirmation


Surgery, and Their Association with Recent Suicidal Ideation and
Depression Symptoms in Transgender Veterans.” Psychological
Medicine, vol. 48, no. 14, Oct. 2018, pp. 2329–2336. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1017/S0033291717003853.

White, Arielle E., et al. "LGBTQ Adolescents’ Positive and Negative Emotions and Experiences

in U.S. High Schools." Sex Roles, vol. 79, no. 9-10, 2018, pp. 594-608. ProQuest,

http://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2048/login?url=https://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2457/docview/1985754

651?accountid=38295, doi:http://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2069/10.1007/s11199-017-0885-1.

American foundation for suicide prevention “suicides attempts among transgender and gender

non-conforming adults” published 2014

https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/AFSP-Williams-Suicide-

Report-Final.pdf
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