blog




  • Essay / The social problem of misogyny against transgender women

    The subject of transgender rights is more discussed than ever. With US President Trump's "transgender military ban" and the "transgender bathroom bill," more and more people are becoming aware that transgender people – people whose sense of personal identity and gender do not correspond to their birth sex – are part of society. However, discrimination and violence against transgender people appear to exist. Although both trans men and women are victims of transphobic behavior, there is a wealth of evidence and research that supports the fact that transgender women are more likely to experience transphobic discrimination and violence than transgender men. Transmisogyny, negative attitudes and discrimination directed against trans women and trans and gender non-conforming people at the female end of the gender spectrum, not only deteriorate the quality of life of transfeminine people, but also cost the lives of transgender women. As it is now a global problem, this essay aims to identify the social problem of transmisogyny, explain the reasons for this problem from sociological aspects and examine the way forward to resolve it and progress towards through media representation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay In today's world where cisnormativity – the common normative assumption that sex and gender should and are equal to each other and that trans people are therefore fundamentally atypical, abnormal and unnatural – is a fairly common ideal; murders, suicides, sexual assaults and many other acts of violence are harsh realities for transgender women and a real reflection of the social problem of transmisogyny. What all of these transmisogynistic behaviors have in common is that they aim to harm the individual on a physical or mental level, targeting them for the simple reason that it is their non-traditional identity. This shows how much discomfort, or rather prejudice and hatred, people who engage in this type of behavior feel, as well as how dangerous, even deadly, these prejudices can be. Murder/homicide is one of the dangers that threatens the quality of life of transgender women. . There are several studies and reports done on this particular issue that show the exceptionally high murder rates of those who do not conform to the cisgender norm. For example, a report from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs indicates that in 2017, when the number of murders reached its highest level ever, 46% of all anti-LGBTQ homicide victims were transgender women and transfeminine people (2018). This means that of the 52 fatal hate crimes recorded against LGBTQ+ people, 24 of them were transmisogynistic murders. The murder rates of transgender women show no signs of slowing, however, as in 2018, advocates documented 26 deaths of transgender people in the United States due to fatal violence, while in 2019 those numbers have already reached 2. Another serious problem in the transgender community is suicide. , especially for young trans people. Constantly surrounded by prejudice and hatred, it is not surprising that transgender women are susceptible to developing mental health disorders. As a field study conducted by the Turkish non-profit Lambdaistanbul suggests, of the 116 participating transgender women, 38.8%reported having had suicidal thoughts and 32.8% reported having attempted suicide (2010). This provides a better understanding of the mental state of these transgender people and how transphobic/transmisogynistic discrimination negatively affects their mental health. Another study indicates that the rate of suicide attempts among transgender youth is approximately 32%. These results, along with many other similar findings, clarify that transgender people, and especially transgender youth, are overwhelmed, depressed, and anxious due to the unsupportive environment of today's society. Moreover, it is appropriate to consider that even if a certain number of these events remain attempts, some of these trans individuals lose their lives. After examining a sample of 402 cases, Lombardi et al. found that the percentage of rape or attempted rape for trans women and trans men was approximately 21% for each (2002). From harming the individual to fetishizing transgender bodies, rape/sexual assault is another harsh reality for trans women. The reason behind the high rates of rape could be because transgender people are more likely to be noticed than any other LGBTQ+ minorities and are therefore targeted more. Regardless, it is safe to say that a significant number of transgender people live with the after-effects of trauma and the fear of possible rape. An important question to ask is why this is happening to transgender women and why are they being targeted. Many resources suggest that this bias comes from a lack of education and misunderstanding. Although they play a huge role in violence and discrimination against transgender women, the issue also has important sociological aspects, such as traditional gender roles that are part of certain cultures, religious fundamentalism, ideologies of certain political wings as well as internalized behaviors. sexism. In conclusion, discomfort related to the violation of so-called gender identity norms caused by certain personal values ​​has significant correlations with transphobia. What is really important to consider is the sexist substructure of transmisogynistic behavior. Kacere suggests that this sexist substructure as well as transmisogyny is based on an understanding of viewing feminine qualities as inferior to those associated with “masculinity” and therefore as deserving of hatred, mockery, and violence (2014). Therefore, discrimination and violence against transgender women are not only the result of prejudice, but rather transgender women are seen as deliberately rejecting their own "superior masculine identity" which in many cases triggers male masculinity. others. In this case, transmisogyny is less a hatred of transgender identity than a hatred of the feminine. Given the incredibly high rates of murder, suicide attempts, and the high risk of sexual assault against transgender women, it is difficult to identify an effective solution. to the problem. However, in recent years, media representation has definitely presented itself as a gateway to progress. Whether offline or online, media representation is undoubtedly an important tool that shapes people's mindset. As transgender people are increasingly represented in the media, transgender and cisgender (non-transgender) people are gaining general knowledge about transgender people as well as knowledge about life from their perspective. Furthermore, this media representation).