9 key questions about being transgender
If you were part of the 16.9 million people who tuned in to hear Bruce Jenner confirm that he is transitioning to a woman, the two-hour special might have left you with more questions.
What is sexual orientation? What is gender identity? If Bruce identifies as a woman but is still sexually attracted to women, how is that defined?
We spoke with Nick Adams, a transgender man, and Randi Kaufman, a clinical psychologist who works
Adams, the director of programs for Transgender Media, GLAAD, says that 8% of Americans personally know someone who is transgender, according to a poll by GLAAD and Harris Interactive.
For those who need an explainer, here are some answers.
1. What does transgender mean?
A transgender person is someone whose internal sense of themselves, a man or woman, is different than the body they are born in; it's different than the sex they were assigned with at birth.
"Your biological sex is made up of a combination of things including your sexual chromosomes, the hormones in your body and secondary sex characteristics. But gender identity is completely internal, it's not visible to others. It's the internal sense of yourself as a man or woman," according to Adams.
So the gender they are assigned, doesn't add up with how they view themselves.
"When you are born, someone looks at your external genitals and assigns something to you, but that might not be how you feel inside, so someone who identifies as transgender may identify with their gender differently than their assigned gender," according to Kaufman.
2. Why do people have a hard time differentiating between sexual orientation and gender identity?
Adams says in general people are much more familiar with the concept of sexual orientation, or whether a person is lesbian or gay, but much less familiar with
He says step one is getting people to understand that sexual orientation is who you are attracted to or who you want to fall in love with and gender identity is who you are as a person.
"All transgender people have a sexual orientation – heterosexual, gay, lesbian or bisexual, just like everyone else," Adams says.
"It's not complicated. I am a transgender man, I was a female at birth. I am attracted to men and have been in a relationship with a gay man. I am a gay man," Adams says. "There are many transgender women that identify as lesbians."
3. What are some misconceptions about transgender women and men?
"Honestly, there are more misconceptions, stereotypes and more hatred aimed at transgender women than transgender men," according to Adams.
"With transgender women, some people think they are simply gay men who transition because they want to be with straight men, but nothing is more wrong," he added.
Transgender women are people assigned male at birth, who know that their internal sense of themselves is that they are a female. They can be attracted to men or women, or both.
"Transgender men are also victims of
Kaufman says misconceptions also exist among transgender people.
"Some transgender people who come in are from an older generation and they may think they have to go through full sex reassignment surgery, when it fact they don't have to do any of it," Kaufman says. "They can do it all, do some of it or choose."
She says many times transgender men or women are portrayed as mentally ill or having sexual issues or paraphilias, but that's not the case.
"It's not about sex or sexuality, it's about their identity," Kaufman says. "What's really wrong is that they are seen and viewed as people they are not."
4. How many people in the United States identify as transgender?
Seven hundred thousand is our best estimate, he says. "I like to think we could have a small Eastern Seaboard state with that number, but there are most likely many more than that," Adams added.
There is no official survey or population study that asks questions about being transgender.
"We need to find out more so we know the needs they have in terms of healthcare and the issues they face like job discrimination," Adams says. "It's difficult to define policy issues if we don't know who they are, how they live and what sort of relationship they are in."
5. Do non-discriminatation laws cover transgender people?
"There are still 32 states where you can be fired, simply for being transgendered," Adams says.
So if a state has a non-discrimination law that includes sexual orientation, which covers lesbian, gay and bisexual people, it does not necessarily cover transgendered people.
"To cover all of us it would have to specify that you cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity," Adams says.
6. What is the percent of transgender people who have attempted suicide?
A study on transgender people showed that 41% of transgender people reported attempting suicide, compared with 1.6% of the general population, according to Adams.
"That's not because transgender people are more mentally unstable but because we live in a culture where transgender people are not accepted, and people often find it very difficult to hope they can transition to their authentic self and be happy and successful," he added.
Kaufman says many people with gender
"Some people feel there are is no help," Kaufman says. "Like the teen in Ohio who killed herself. She felt like there was no way out and for people who feel there is no way out, death is the way out."
Kaufman says for parents with children who may be struggling with gender identity, support is key.
"People who are accepted do the best," Kaufman says. "We have seen that a families' acceptance is protection."
7. When do people start showing signs of gender identity?
"Children can begin expressing the fact they feel like they are a different sex than the one they are assigned at a very young age," Adams says.
"Many children engage in gender play, but when a young child, persistently and consistently expresses the idea they are a different gender, parents should take that seriously and consult with an expert about whether or not their child might be transgender," he adds.
"So many little boys put on mommy's high heels or a tutu, but that doesn't mean they are transgender. It's different when every day, a child is saying, 'I am meant to be a boy or I am really a girl.' It goes on for a very long time," Adams says.
Kaufman says that overwhelmingly transgender people begin wrestling with their gender identity when they are very young or before puberty.
She says that puberty is often the time when a transgender man or women tells family or friends about their internal struggle.
"Puberty is when peoples bodies start changing, and they see their body changing in a way they do not want and it's really a time of crisis for themselves and betrayal," Kaufman says.
8. Is sexual orientation or sexual preference the best term to use?
Sexual orientation is definitely the preferred term, according to GLAAD. "Sexual preference" is the term to avoid, Adams says. "Preference makes it sound like it's a choice: 'I prefer vanilla over chocolate ice cream,'" he said.
9. How should we talk about gender identity?
It depends on the situation. If you have a transgendered person in your workplace school or church, it's best not to subject the person to personal and invasive questions about their transition, particularly the medical aspects of their transition, Adams says.
"If you tell them you support the transgender person they may share over time, but it's not something most transgender people want to be questioned about by acquaintances or co-workers," he adds.
If you have a transgendered person in your family, it's important to show you love and support them and support that they are who they say they are. "Asking more questions is appropriate but allow a family member to tell you their story in their own time," Adams adds.