Transgenered in Workplace

Transgenered in Workplace

  • Submitted By: mmason730
  • Date Submitted: 03/01/2009 12:09 PM
  • Category: Philosophy
  • Words: 2719
  • Page: 11
  • Views: 1

Blue-Collar Blues for Gender Non-Conformists
The transgender movement has gained visibility as sexual orientation becomes less of a private matter. Just as the United States has witnessed the "coming out" of homosexuals, many transsexuals are now becoming more open about their transition and are fighting for protected rights and recognized identities. This phenomenon of what is called a construction of the abnormal, is recognizing a minority and giving them representation in order to make their population more accepted and influential within their relative contemporary societies. Currently, not all are embracing this individual choice to become a transsexual by undergoing hormone therapy and surgical breast alterations in order to transition from one recognized gender to another. The blue-collar workplace can be especially hostile for gender transitioning people as they may create discomfort among their employers or their colleagues; disrupting the professional environment.
In order to see why one would want to jeopardize their position in a job by undergoing extreme physical transitions, one must first understand the psychological and underlining reasons for their choice to make the controversial change. Initially, people who undergo the procedures to become a transsexual say that their choice was based on a strong internal identification with members of the opposite sex (York, 2000; 2). Since people usually want to have their physical appearance match their feelings on the inside, it is only natural that the transgendered population does the same, even if it means radically altering their bodies to do so. Others may have been molested at a young age and felt resentment of their gender, which could also encourage a transition (York, 2000; 6). Whatever the psychological reason, the transgendered community feels as though they should be treated as equally as everyone else and that their new identities should be recognized. Some even go as far as to...

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