Jordan S

The Past, the Present and the Future

December 4, 2018 by Jordan S

Through different analyses, we have addressed the struggles that transgender children faced in the 1980s and 1990s versus today. This post serves as a means to tie our argument into a concluding remark. Despite the fact that the scope of our argument is limited to the direct experiences of only a couple individuals, our website achieved its goal of conveying information of the past and present experiences of transgender youth.

Janet Mock was the primary individual whom we analyzed, given that her memoir, Redefining Realness, was a vital component in our understanding of one woman’s trans experience. By analyzing passages from her memoir, a picture from her youth and an interview with her, we were able to hone in on Mock’s childhood struggles, and use it as a comparison to the struggles that transgender children face in current society. For example, while Mock had to express her gender identity in more private settings, Jacob, from the NBC Nightly News segment, has had the opportunity to openly express himself as a boy since a very young age. It is not our intention to group the experiences of trans children. Instead, the focus of our project was to illuminate several similarities and differences that trans children have faced throughout the past three decades.

Unfortunately, the harassment that transgender students are subjected to is still present in schools, and, often, teachers fail to intervene. However, laws have been passed to instate gender-neutral restrooms in schools and allow transgender children to play on the sports team they identify with. Although these laws allow trans students to openly express their gender identities, more laws are necessary to further advocate for the rights of transgender people. Despite the strides being made, President Trump is attempting to redefine the term ‘gender’ to exclude transgender individuals. If his efforts succeed, transgender students would lose all protection provided under Title XI, which would reverse much of the progress made to ensure the safety and inclusion of such students.

We chose to analyze Mock’s experiences in the late 1980s and 1990s given that this time period falls directly before the current generation. Despite the fact that this time period spans a mere 30 years, generalized attitudes towards transgender individuals have improved. Specifically, individuals born in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s have grown up in a more progressive era, which has promoted an increased acceptance of all individuals, regardless of their identity, such as their gender and race. For this reason, there is hope that each preceding generation will further perpetuate this ideological trend, and, as a result, society will become increasingly accepting. In essence, in order to educate older generations on trans issues, younger generations must be the agents of change and promote equality for all individuals.

Life As A 5-Year Old Transgender Child

November 14, 2018 by Jordan S

In 2015, NBC Nightly News conducted an interview series examining the struggles that transgender people face in society. One of the individuals interviewed was a transgender boy named Jacob, who was 5-years old at the time of the interview. The story begins by explaining the internal and external struggles that Jacob faced when he was still called Mia, which was his birth name. He explains that he was always uncomfortable with his birth name and always wanted to cut his hair as short as possible. His parents assumed that he was simply going through a phase, even when Jacob’s mother caught him poking at himself and audibly questioning “why God made him wrong.” His mother notes that she was confused and concerned and hoped his “obsession” with being a boy would go away. It was not until Jacob was consistently and persistently requesting to be addressed as a boy at home, that his mother knew that he truly was a boy.

When given the opportunity to enroll in a new school, one in which people would immediately meet him as a boy, Jacob was ecstatic. Jacob’s parents allowed him to style his hair as he desired, and also told family and friends to call him Jacob. By enabling Jacob to live publicly as a boy, his parents were supporting his true identity. A doctor is also interviewed in the segment, and she explains that gender identity is formed at a very young age, and children typically know their identify between the ages of 3 and 5. She strongly advocated for parents to allow their transgender children to openly express themselves, given that their children will suffer if they do not; this suffering includes a variety of psychiatric outcome, such as anxiety, depression and attempting suicide. Jacob’s mom understands that while people may judge her family for allowing their son to publicly live as a boy at a young age, “a mother heart knows when her child is suffering,” and she wants her child to be as happy as possible. Additionally, Jacob’s father alludes to the notion that parents are sometimes not accepting of their child’s gender identity, but notes that, “Jacob has made that choice in his mind, in his heart. It’s whether or not we accept it or not.” By accepting Jacob for who he truly is, his parents are allowing him to have a strong support system that is willing to fight for his happiness and well-being. It is also important to note that at the conclusion of the segments, Lester Holt expresses that NBC is hosting a live discussion after the show with the doctor who was interviewed as well as the report in order to allow people to ask questions. This seemingly mundane discussion provides a open space for the greater public to be educated on transgender issues.

Although Jacob’s parents ultimately decided to accept Jacob for who he truly is, there is a looming awkwardness throughout the entire segment. The first time Jacob’s father is introduced, he tells the interviewer that he hoped Jacob’s desire to express himself as a boy was a phase. Similarly, the first time Jacob’s mother was introduced, she tells the interviewer that she hoped his “obsession” with being a boy would dissipate. Their comments make it blatantly apparent that they were initially very uncomfortable allowing Jacob to express himself for who he truly is. Parents often impose their cisgender gaze on their transgender children. Essentially, the cisgender gaze is an act by which cisgender people abuse their privilege and power by looking down upon transgender people. In practice, the cisgender gaze is meant to make transgender people feel as though they are inferior to cisgender people. By agonizing over their child’s gender identity, parents often refuse to accept that their child is unhappy, and, instead, disregard their suffering as a phase. In doing so, such parents are expressing their desire to have their child fit society’s “norm” of being cisgender. As seen in the segment, the doctor explains that when speaking to the parents of transgender children, she needs to reinforce the fact their child is not going through as phase, even when the parents want to believe that they are.

In order to allow children to express themselves openly and without fear of being ridiculed for their gender identity, parents must love their children for who they are. Parents serve as the primary source of knowledge for children; thus, they must promote notions of inclusivity and acceptance. In doing so, their children will adopt diverse ways of thinking, which will result in positive feelings about their gender identity as well as an appreciation for all members of society.

Given that this story was part of a larger segment on the lives of transgender children, NBC Nightly News was targeting viewers who likely have incomplete perspectives about the struggles that transgender people face. In my household, I grew up watching NBC Nightly News given that my parents were avid viewers. Therefore, I infer that the typical viewers are middle-aged individuals, who, historically, have had little exposure to learning about trans issues. By targeting people who did not grow up learning about such issues, NBC Nightly News was attempting to provide its audience with an educational opportunity to learn about the struggles that transgender children face. Unfortunately, by allowing viewers to leave comments following the segment, an opportunity arose to spew hateful ideas. Despite the fact that the segment was intended to educate NBC Nightly News’ viewers, there were likely a number of viewers who were angered by the segment. Therefore, such viewers had the opportunity to leave hateful and transphobic comments following the segment. By spewing hatred, the segment’s intended educational purpose may have been tainted and diluted. Therefore, future news segments should consider different avenues for trans education in order to prevent spiteful viewers from further exacerbating the issues surrounding transphobia.

“Life As A Transgender Child.” Youtube, uploaded by NBC News, 22 April 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVmau1cM5TU

Interview with Janet Mock

November 14, 2018 by Jordan S

In 2014, the Huffington Post interviewed Janet Mock in regard to her childhood and growing up as a transgender woman. The interview revolves around questions pertaining to Mock’s struggles to portray her femininity as a child. She always knew that she wanted to express herself as a woman, and as feminine, but she was not always able to due to pressures to conform to the stereotypes associated with being a young boy. For example, instead of playing football, Mock preferred to dress up in women’s clothing and pretend to be her female alter-ego, Keisha. In the interview, Mock recognizes that parents often have a hard time allowing their children to openly express themselves. Although her mother and other family members allowed Mock to express herself openly while she lived in Hawaii, her father did not allow her to act feminine while she lived with him in the mainland United States.

Mock explains that her father is a Southern, Baptist man who did not want his children to act like “sissies.” She explains that her father’s constant reminder of her acting like a “sissy” was one of the first labels in which she was exposed to, which, in turn, numbed her to the more severe labels that people would use to describe her in the future. In essence, Mock believes that his gender policing was a way of showing his love for her; her father did not want Mock to be ridiculed by society for acting differently than most boys. Mock also reflects on the letter that she sent to her father upon telling him that she was a woman who wanted to be called Janet. In the letter, Mock explains that she couldn’t talk to her father anymore if he didn’t accept her for who she was truly was. Much to her surprise, her father responded that he will always love her, because that is his job as a father. Although it took time for Mock’s father to adjust to this change, he now does outreach within the black community in which he lives. She notes that her father’s community, and many others like it, have not been taught about transgender issues. For example, Mock recounts that her father had to explain to her uncles why Janet is a woman. By being educated on transgender issues and out of love for his daughter, Mock’s father was able to transform his views. Through education and first-hand accounts of the struggles that transgender individuals face, Mock is hopeful that society as a whole will learn to fully accept transgender individuals. She emphasizes that individuals must learn of transgender individuals’ stories directly from the source and not through a filtered media story.

Janet Mock was constantly criticized by her father when she was living under his supervision. She was unable to truly express herself, which resulted in feelings of uneasiness. As previously mentioned, Mock notes that her father’s gender policing was his way of showing that he loved her. Despite the fact that this was his way of protecting her, it is dangerous for parents to police their child’s gender. In Mock’s case, her father was attempting to force Mock to act and look like someone she was not. Consequently, these attitudes limited Mock’s ability to express herself freely and without fear of disproval and backlash from her father. She felt as though she could not share her physical and emotional struggles with her father, which, as described in her memoir, heavily impacted her perception of herself. For instance, in Redefining Realness, Mock recalls an encounter with her father following his discovery that she had a female alter-ego named Keisha:

My father’s thoughts filled the car: My son is an effeminate boy pretending to be a girl in front of other boys, so he must be gay right? Uncertainty rode shotgun in our conversation. As a tween, I was living in the murkiness of sexuality and gender. I knew I was viewed as a boy. I knew I liked boys. I knew I felt like a girl. Like many trans people, I hadn’t learned terms like trans, transgender, or transsexual – definitions that would have offered me clarity about my gender identity…Regardless, gay was foreign enough to my father – a proud black man raised in a Southern Baptist home – that I can’t imagine proclaiming I was trans would’ve put him at ease (Mock 80).

Given his background, Mock understood that even if she fully grasped her gender identity at the time, stating that she was trans would not have assuaged her father’s concerns. He was uncomfortable about the fact that she may be gay, so it is not likely that he would even fathom the idea of Janet being trans. Out of fear and a desire to please her father, Mock would only express her femininity in environments that were not surveilled by her father. By hiding her true identity, Mock was not able to live openly as her true self under her father’s supervision.

Also, it is important to analyze Mock’s concluding comments in the interview regarding education through first-hand accounts from transgender people. With transgender people taking on the role of being educators, they can relay their struggles and accomplishments to the public in order to promote a more accepting society. The media tends to insert biases into their news segments on the experiences of transgender people, which can positively or negatively skew the intended message. Additionally, some media sources promote strong feelings against transgender people through blatant disrespect. By having transgender people provide first-hand accounts of their lives, the cisgender majority will likely realize that they are not inherently different than their trans counterparts. In turn, this will pave the way for more cisgender people to become allies with transgender people.

Mock, Janet. Redefining realness: My path to womanhood, identity, love & so much more. Simon and Schuster, 2014.

“Janet Mock Opens Up About Her Dad’s Gender Policing.” uploaded by HuffPost Live, 12 February 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1YbgeJsckI.