Gender War on America’s Youth: 50 under 30
On December 28th, the Gender Public Advocacy, or GenderPAC, released a report about violence against gender non-conforming people. From doing my own research into Transgender violence, I can say that it’s not easy to find numbers. It’s under reported but you know it happens. At this time, the United States government doesn’t require the FBI to track gender based hate crimes, and according to the GenderPAC report, if the FBI did keep track, then gender based hate crimes would outweigh every category except race.
The study also found that
Most of these young victims were biologically male; they were Black or Latina/o; and they were transgressing gender boundaries in some profound way. Almost all were killed by young males about their own age, who assaulted them in extraordinary attacks and often multiple acts of violence.
These deaths are consistent with a pattern of young men using murderous aggression to enforce standards of masculinity and to assert their manhood.
The report is relatively short (12 pages) and is worth a read, whether you’re trans or not.
I’ve experienced discrimination because I’m a FtM. I get the weird looks, I was made fun of in school, people say ridiculous things to me, but thankfully, I’ve never experienced any violence. I get that people are ignorant, I get that people feel insecure about themselves and have to take it out on other people. I get all of it. But how can you take another person’s life, even if you don’t understand their life-style or their culture? Is it really worth it?
What upsets me more than the violence, is the fact that it never gets any press or that most of these murders aren’t classified as hate crimes or that our government doesn’t even keep track of them. The only trans murder I can think of that got any sort of press was when Gwen Araujo was murdered.
We’re raised in a culture that likes everything to fit inside a specific box. God forbid someone be different. When someone doesn’t fit inside that box, they are made fun of or outcasted, and worse, attacked violently.
I may not fit everyone’s idea of gender, I may not fit into a nice little box, but that doesn’t make me less of a person. I am different from everyone else, not because I’m trans, but because of my political beliefs, or my religion, the kind of music I like, the clothes I wear, the causes I support, or the movies I watch. I’m built the same way as the next person. I’m not possessed by a demon, I’m not a freak, and I’m not less of a person because my body doesn’t fit who I am.
Categorized as Transgender
That surprises and alarms me that the government does not keep track of crimes against Transgender. Why should they have any less importance than crimes against race or religion? I hope that some change comes in the future - maybe from our Democratic Congress.
Before change can come, like most things, they need to be out there and voices, such as myself, need to be heard. It’s one thing to say, “Something should be done about this” and then not do anything, and a whole other thing to actually go out and do something about it. As happy as I am that there is a Democratic Congress, it doesn’t change the fact that Trans issues are off their radar, just as they were with Republicans.
I only hope to spread the word, contact my Congress-people, and hope that I can encourage others to do the same. That, I hope, is what makes a difference, even if just a tiny bit.