Gender Identity and Transsexual and Transgender Issues



Objective(s) & Context

  • Examine the concept of transgender, transsexual, and gender identity.

  • Determine how one can be more open and accepting of the gender identities of everyone, and encourage the questioning of gender and gender roles.

 

Duration

3 hours

 

Group Size

10–30

 

Age Group

13 +

 

Skills

Communication, critical thinking, writing, and comprehension skills

 

Format(s) and Technique(s)

Talk back with a Resource Person, journaling and reflection

 

Materials

Flip chart paper and markers

Note books and pencils/pens

 

Facilitation Tips

  • For this workshop, you may want to invite a resource person who has experience giving trans workshops.

  • It is inappropriate to ask someone who is transgender to lead this workshop if their only credentials are being transgender. Doing so would be tokenizing this person, and forcing them to speak on behalf of all transgender people, which is unrealistic and detrimental to other peoples experiences.

  • If the resource person you invite who has experience giving trans workshops is trans, it is up to that person if they wish to speak about their own experiences.

  • Participants should be encouraged to ask general questions. For example, “Are the everyday lives of trans people different than non trans people?” and not personal questions like, “Have you had any operations?” or “How do you have sex?”

  • An important thing to emphasize is that gender is a socially defined category. The girls in the workshop may be hesitant to talk about this as it has been ingrained in our mind that there are only two genders, female and male. It is also important to emphasize that gender and sexuality are two different things, although they are closely related.

  • Be clear on making the point that a transgendered person is not necessarily gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer.

 

Popular Education Prompts

  • It may be useful to start your discussion on gender identity with questions to the participants about how they personally do and don’t fit into certain gender stereotypes. Low-intensity examples of these sorts of questions could include girls who are really into science and math, sports, etc.

 

Leading the Activity: Steps to Take

Workshop (1 hour and 10 minutes):

1. Lead a discussion with the group on transgendered issues and gender identity.

2. Continue the discussion by presenting the statement on transgendered issues and gender identity to the participants.

 

Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same thing.

 

Transgendered people have varying sexual orientations, identifying as heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or as queer – to name a few.

 

It is important to think about gender identity and how it influences our lives, as the rigid two-gender system gives rise to homophobia, heterosexism, sexism, male privilege, and violence against women.

 

3. Continue the discussion by using the suggested questions listed below. You may want to write them on flip chart paper so that participants can think about them for a few minutes.

  • Have you heard the term “transgender” before? What do you think it means?

  • What do you think about the idea that there are more than two genders?

4. Once the participants have discussed the questions, present the definitions taken from Our Bodies Our Selves for the New Century.

 

Definitions from Our Bodies Our Selves for the New Century

 

Transgender: Most commonly used as an umbrella term, which includes all people who in some significant way defy or challenge stereotypical definitions of gender, or who have a conflict with or question about the gender they were assigned at birth. “Trans” is an abbreviated term in current use.

 

Female to Male Transsexual (FTM): Someone who was assigned female at birth who identifies and lives as a male.

 

Male to Female Transsexual (MTF): Someone who was assigned male at birth who identifies and lives as a female.

 

Transphobia: the irrational fear or hatred of transgendered people.

 

Transsexual: Those who identify as members of a sex that is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. Many pursue hormones and/or surgical interventions, but not all who pursue medical interventions identify as transsexual.

 

Debrief

  • Debrief with the participants by having them journal the thoughts and feelings they have.

  • Ask them to write down in their journals the following reflections:

    • The discussion about transgendered issues makes me think of…

    • The discussion about transgendered issues makes me feel…

 

Success Indicators

Participants are:

  • Able to identify discriminatory language pertaining to gender identity and transgendered persons

  • More comfortable talking about trans issues

  • More open to differences between people based on their gender identity