Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Flashcards
LGBT youth are disproportionately at risk
- substantially more likely than straight youths to experience homelessness (25-40% of homeless and runaway youths are LGBT)
- more likely to attempt suicide
- more likely to commit truancy or drop out of high school
other factors contribute to at-risk or homeless status for LGBT youth
- race, ethnicity, class
- access to resources
- prior system involvement
- support from even one adult can reduce risk
What does LGBTQIA+ stand for?
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Agender, +
Transgender Umbrella
Covers individuals whose sexual identity changes or challenges traditional gender definitions
Androgynous persons
Ambiguous, between masculine and feminine norms
Feminine men
identifies as a man but may have feminine qualities
masculine women
identifies as a woman but may have masculine qualities
transexual
- Male to female assigned the male sex at birth, identifies as female
- female to male: assigned the female sex at birth, identifies as male
Bigender
identifies with both genders
Third gender
categorized as neither man nor woman
Gender queer
Do not define themselves as either sex
Agendered
A person without gender
Intersex persons
existing between the sexes
Hijra
An Indian term for a person who has a gender role neither female nor male
Two Spirit
Native American term for having both female and male spirits within one person
Sex assigned at birth:
a person’s sex assigned at birth is based on a person’s physical genital anatomy when they are born. Babies are generally assigned the binary male or female. People are identified as intersex when their sex is not easily assigned or they have a mixed reproductive system
gender identity
gender identity exists on a spectrum rather than the binary male and female
cis
means “on the same side of”. People whose sex assigned at birth and gender identity are on the same side are called cisgender
trans
means “on the opposite side of”. For people whose sex assigned at birth and gender identity are not on the same side are transgender
Gender expression
this is how feminine or masculine a person presents to others with their clothing, hairstyle, voice, body shape, how you walk or talk, the activities you enjoy, and so forth
sexual orientation
who a person is Physically and Emotionally attracted to and is a unique experience regardless of one’s gender identity
Transgender transitioning process
internal acceptance social transition mental health therapy hormone therapy legal transition gender confirmation surgery
Internal acceptance
relief, grief, internalized transphobia and cissexism, name change, pronoun change
social transition
“coming out” to friends, family, employer, school, etc. may happen at different times
mental health therapy
to get insurance coverage for the medical treatments desired, individuals need a diagnosis. The DSM-5 diagnosis is gender dysphoria
hormone therapy
guidelines have been established by the endocrine society: prior to puberty, either hormone blocker to “buy time” or hormone treatment
legal transition
legal name change, social security card, driver’s license, birth certificate, passport, etc.
gender confirmation surgery
MTF: vaginoplasty, breast augmentation, body contouring, and facial feminization surgery; FTM: metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, chest surgery and chest contouring
common challenges for trans people
- harassment and discrimination
- violence and murder
- suicide
- poverty
- barriers to health care
- lack of legal protection
- identity documents
harassment and discrimination
there is a long history of trans folks being characterized as mentally ill, social deviants, and sexual predators
violence and murder
since 2015, the number of trans people killed by acquaintances, partners, and strangers has been between 25 and 30 per year
Suicide
41% of transgender people have attempted suicide in their lifetime - suicide attempts are generally not due to simply being transgender, instead, they are due to society’s rejection and discrimination of the transgender person
poverty
at least 15% of trans people live in severe poverty, meaning that they make less than $10,000/year
barriers to health care
transgender people need access to transgender-sensitive healthcare. transgender people often avoid going to the doctor due to fear of discrimination by their doctor or the doctor lacking knowledge about their health care needs
lack of legal protection
about half of transgender people are uncomfortable turning to police for help due to fears of discrimination. transgender people are not legally protected by law; only 21 states have anti-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity
identity documents
33% of people who have transitioned have not been able to update any of their identity documents to match their affirmed gender.
microaggressions
- dead-naming and misgendering
- insulting comments (cissexism)
- asking intrusive questions
- making assumptions
- judgmental looks, whispers, giggles
- social media posts, memes, and comments
dead-naming and misgendering
using legal name and incorrect pronouns
insulting comments (cissexism)
- referring to cisgender people as “normal” or “regular”. This implies that cisgender people are superior and trans people are inferior or abnormal
- verbally comparing a trans person to a cis person. “I would have never known you were transgender. You look just like a real man” or “You’d pass so much better if you wore less/make-up, had a better wig, etc.”
Asking intrusive questions
- don’t ask if a transgender person has had “the surgery” or if they are “pre-op” or “post-op”
Don’t ask a transgender person about how they have sex
Making assumptions
Every person’s transition is different. Don’t assume that just because you knew one trans person or because you read a book about a trans person that everyone’s experience will be or should be the same.
