Dangers Concerning the Transgendered Individual
A great deal of research on transgendered individuals have a propensity to come from a medical, psychiatric, or deviance perspective, with little attention to the social context in the way in which a transgendered person exists or their efforts to resist normative expectations of sex and gender. Just by focusing on some of the pressures experienced by these individuals to maintain both characteristics of gender it becomes obvious how the idea of gender is taken for granted as a presumably natural aspect of social life. With social pressures to conform, including desires for relationship maintenance and self-preservation, as well as the overwhelming need to actualize an identity that does not fit within the traditional boy-or-girl system of sex and gender, enlighten the gender resistance and conformity exhibited among these individuals. However, important lessons can be learned about the power dynamics of gender and how such systems may and may not be resisted. Transgender people experience the same kinds of mental health problems that non-transgender people do. However, the stigma, discrimination, and internal conflict that many transgender people incur can sometimes place them at risk for certain mental health problems.
Antidiscrimination laws in the U.S. cannot always protect transgender people from discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression and because of this, transgender people have often be denied housing or employment, lost child custody battles, or denied the benefits of marriage. Also, many transgender people are the targets of hate crimes. Violence against transgender people stems from ignorance of gender and sexuality. Most murders of transgender people are perpetrated by non-transgender men, and most victims are transgender women. Violence against transgender people is often triggered by anger or fear about gender non-conformity. Murder of transgender people takes place usually...