TW: Brief, Non-Graphic Mentions of Physical/Sexual Assault and Death
About a month ago, we discussed the Latinx community and its struggles with mental health stigma. Today, we’ll be talking about the experience of transgender individuals in relation to mental health. But first things first, let’s define 2 key terms: “transgender” and “transphobia.” To be transgender means to identify differently from the sex assigned to one at birth, making it the opposite of being cisgender, or identifying with one’s assigned sex at birth. And as stated by Jordyn (Forever Blooming podcast’s host) in our episode on this topic, transphobia is “the fear, hatred, disbelief, or mistrust of people who are transgender.” As you may have guessed, transphobia is at the root of many mental health struggles transgender individuals go through.
If we look at the status quo for transgender people, it isn’t a pretty picture. For the US, 2021 marked the deadliest year for transgender people yet, with 45 killed. In addition, 25 anti-trans bills were passed last year, with nine of those bills targeting transgender youth participation in sports and access to gender-affirming care.
Image Source: Political Charge
To discuss and address transphobia, though, it’s important to understand how it can be exhibited. There are two main ways: a blatant way or a more casual way. More specifically, our episode discussed how deadly attacks, social disparities (e.g. discrimination in the workplace, lack of access to health care and specific types of housing), bullying, and sexual assault qualify as blatant manifestations of transphobia, while hate on social media or stereotypes about transgender people spread through means such as memes represents the latter. An issue such as bullying can be broken down even further; an example would be referring to transgender people by wrong pronouns on purpose, which, needless to say, causes great distress and feelings of being stigmatized. In fact, a study revealed that around 32% of transgender people feel stigmatized when misgendered. Adding onto that, 77% faced discrimination if they were out from K-12, which reveals just how extensive bullying of transgender individuals is.
One of the key causes of transphobia, as with many other societal problems, is the massive spread of misinformation. Jordyn discussed how such misinformation could include the notion that the transgender identity is made-up, that transgender is a third gender, and that many transgender people regret medically transitioning (undergoing medical operations to have physical characteristics that match with the gender they identify with). (Just to be clear, “Almost no trans people - at most 1 or 2 percent report regret after they medically transition.”)
As for the effects of transphobia, on the extreme end of the spectrum is death, but others are arguably just as concerning. Some effects mentioned in our episode were feeling unsafe/like you don’t belong, self-hatred (regretting your own identity), social difficulty, fear, and anxiety about the future.
Image Source: Einzelgänger
The process of self-identification and discovering oneself can be a mental health toll all on its own, unfortunately. As described by Jordyn, self-discovery can be very daunting, overwhelming, and associated with a high level of pressure. As one tries to discover what clothes, pronouns, names, etc. feel right, it can feel like an exhausting set of challenges. Self-shame can become a common feeling in the midst of a naturally complicated and hard process.
Another major mental health-related issue that may result from identifying as transgender is what’s known as gender dysphoria, defined in our episode as “the distress and discomfort often present in individuals whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.” There are 3 different kinds of gender dysphoria –body, mind, and social. Body dysphoria relates to discomfort with one’s physical features because it doesn’t match with how one identifies themself, social dysphoria is discomfort when someone perceives you as someone you’re not, and mind dysphoria is all internal and related to how one refers to themself in their head. Sharing their experience, Jordyn described how they have struggled with all 3 types of dysphoria and how dysphoria is a mind-bending level of discomfort that makes one feel like they’re trapped. Mental dissociation and suicidal thoughts are unfortunately common effects of this experience.
What are some key actions that can be taken to address transphobia and mitigate the mental health challenges faced by transgender people? For one, it’s absolutely crucial to fight any misinformation that might be spreading about the transgender community. As stated by Jordyn, it’s okay to have misunderstandings about being transgender, but putting in a bit of extra effort to educate oneself and correct those misunderstandings can make a world of difference. Some reliable organizations to check out are the ACLU, GLSEN, GLAAD, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and the Human Rights Campaign. Remember that gender is a social construct and that stereotypes about what males should wear, for instance, have all been artificially created by humans. In other words, be open-minded and accepting of whichever way someone chooses to represent/identify themself.
Image Source: Flickr
The actions listed above, of course, are mostly those that cisgender people can do to benefit the transgender community; as for transgender individuals, here are some tips mentioned in our episode for coping with any mental health struggles you may be experiencing:
Having a supportive and reliable friend group, especially one with friends you can relate to
Diverting your attention by pursuing hobbies/passions or doing fun, relaxing activities (like watching a movie)
Engaging in self-care
On a concluding note, it’s clear that in today’s society, it’s not easy being transgender. There are so many mental health challenges transgender people face from phenomena such as casual and blatant transphobia; regardless, transgender people have shown their resilience and resolve in the face of such difficulties. As a society, educating ourselves, being open-minded, and being supportive of the transgender community are clear and effective ways to turn the tide against a concerning tide of anti-trans attitudes and to better promote the mental well-being of transgender people.