For our final project, we created this website to convey our analysis concerning the similarities and differences that Janet Mock faced during her childhood in the 1980s and 1990s versus the experiences of transgender children today. In addition to identifying the various ways in which transgender children in today’s society are viewed with a greater sense of personhood than they were in the 1980s-1990s, we also discussed the fact that transgender children are still subjected to being discriminated against by their family, teachers, peers, etc.. By focusing on these two different time periods, we aimed to promote a progression in the ways transgender youth are treated and viewed by society today in comparison tothe previous generation.
We used Janet Mock’s memoir, Redefining Realness, as the foundation of our analysis. By using primary sources, we expanded upon our analysis to emphasize the changes that have been made to further protect the rights and safety of transgender children. Additionally, by using the media, such as pictures and videos, we alluded the opposing schools of thought regarding how transgender children are perceived in today’s world. By analyzing a wide breadth of materials, we focused on the notion that while the rights and senses of personhood of transgender children have been elevated since the 1980s-1990s, there is still a long way to go until our society entirely recognizes their humanity.
The political impact of our project is that is shines light on the various laws that have been enacted to either protect or hurt transgender individuals since 1980. Specifically, it discusses Title XI, laws regarding gender neutral bathrooms, sports teams, and the current Trump administrations aim to redefine the term gender in order to exclude transgender people. Despite some progress being made on the political front of advocating for transgender people, a lot more needs to be done. The social impact of our project looks to inform our audience about the ways in which teachers, peers, and parents can impact transgender children. In Janet Mock’s case, she had one teacher that repeatedly misgendered her, setting the tone of disrespect in the classroom that the other children followed. In modern day, statistics reveal that most transgender children are still verbally or physically harassed in schools, with little teacher intervention.
The audience we will be targeting is anyone who is interested in learning more about the various struggles that transgender children face on a daily basis. We hope that our website and its content will educate those who are unaware of the struggles that transgender children face as well as motivate them to take action to protect the rights of such individuals.
