Why The Transgender Community Is The Single Most Important...

For most, identifying who you are, the population you belong to you, and the group you identify with is an incredibly simple task. Anything outside the standard gender parameters would often ostracize you from your family, friends, and community; however, an increasingly larger group of individuals do not follow these constructed parameters. About five in every 100,000 individuals do not fall into the sex and gender roles they are born into. These individuals face a lifetime of psychological abuse, physical abuse, depression, and in some cases suicide. The transgender community faces a plethora of problems that limit their acceptance into society. Transitioning can be the single most important step toward a healthier, happy life.†¦show more content†¦The term â€Å"self-made man† as introduced by Henry Rubin, a sociologist, suggests the importance of conforming your outer shell to your inner â€Å"true self.† This is an incredibly important concept when it com es to transitioning adolescence. The absolute free feeling they receive from finally being able to externally express who they are is â€Å"priceless,† as told by Liam Kai, a transgender young adult. Modern day medicine provides youth the ability to become their true selves without having to endure the pain of growing up in the body they do not identify with. Puberty blockers have been around for over a decade, allowing youth to slow the progression of puberty to a near standstill in order to give them more time to fully grasp their gender identity. They are then given the opportunity to start taking hormone therapy in order to fully transition. Joel Baum, an educator on the transgender movement, says â€Å"when we ask our children who they are, and they tell us, it is our responsibility to listen.† Society is ever evolving, yesterday’s taboos are today’s norms. As technology grows, so does our awareness of things around us. The transgender movement owes much of its strength and approval due to this. Unlike past generations, today we are connected with the whole world, and as such, we begin to realize that individuals all over the world face similar daunting problems. The social construction of gender is being questioned now more than ever. The