5 Easy Ways You Can Advocate for Trans Rights Right Now
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http://www.care2.com/causes/5-easy-ways-you-can-advocate-for-trans-rights-right-now.html
Following the awful suicide of teenager Leelah Alcorn, seemingly because her family would not accept her trans identity, were all asking ourselves how we can make life better for trans teens. Fellow Care2 writers have already had some great thoughts on this, but I wanted to contribute some specific actions we can take today that are easy and could lead to meaningful change.
1. Stop Making Assumptions About Gender
Science tells us that gender and biological sex are not the same thing. Gender is an emergent characteristic that depends on a lot of different factors, including our brain chemistry and physiology. In order to ensure that we stop putting trans children in the incredibly perilous situation of having to discover that they arent what their parents were expecting, it seems much more prudent to simply stop setting gender expectations and thereby remove that pressure. Of course, because sex is used for certain official forms, we will have to use gender markers for some official practices, but this neednt dominate a childs life.
2. Let Trans Children Self-Identify
Media scrutiny has fallen on Alcorns parents for their treatment of the trans teen. Something that Ive noticed is how they repeatedly refer to their son and how he was a beautiful child. Alcorns parents have consistently misgendered Alcorn, refusing to use female pronouns and honor how she identified due to their view of their own religion.
Allowing trans children to determine their own gender and express it how they wish is paramount to ensure that we respect their right to self-identify and ensure that they know we are there for them and support them.
3. Understand What Gender Dysphoria Actually Is
FULL story at link.