Transgender
Transgender is a hot topic at this time. So it’s also very interesting to look at them when we talk about gender inequality. We have already seen that women aren’t equal to men. But what with transgenders? They can’t be described by the terms “men” or “women”. In this part of our paper we do research about the acceptance of transgenders by comparing Czech Republic and Belgium again. But this time we look at the aspect transgender. Moreover we looked up what being transgender really means and how this evolved during the last years.
What is it?
We have a culture where there are two possibilities: being a man or a woman. This is called a binair humanity. Not everyone can find themselves in this part of our culture. This people we can call transgenders. A transgender is a person by who his or her gender identity doesn’t accord with his biological gender by birth. The term is used for different variations in gender feelings and behaviour. There are three different groups when we talk about transgenders. First we have cross-dressing. We can also call it travesty or people try to look like the other gender by wearing different clothes, makeup, accessories, protheses to reproduce sexual characteristics, reform their voices and to use the stereotype body language. Sometimes they also change their name. There are a few reasons people do this. Some people see cross-dressing as a recreational activity for example a drag-queen. Others use it to control their identity. It can also be a sexual fetishism where they do it for an erotic reason. Or it can be used to exceed the style standards.The second one is someone who do not find himself back in the partition of the categories of men and women we can call them transgenderist. The third group are people who permanently change their gender by using medical care. They are transsexual. Transgender is part of the gender identity and has nothing to do with the sexual orientation of a person. Because being transgender isn’t about feeling attached to someone of the other sex, but it is about with which gender they recognize themselves. Bo Van Spilbeeck is a perfect example that gender identity isn’t the same as sexual orientation. He became a woman this year even when he is married and has children. It isn’t that easy to know when you really are becoming a transgender. There isn’t something like a checklist to know if you are a transgender. To give someone some clearness about being transgender, you can talk with specialised therapists or with transgenders themselves. We have also spoken to a transgender to have more insight on the subject. We have interviewed Bo Van Spilbeeck. She changed her name, before she was Bo, she was Boudewijn. This is a well-known transgender in Belgium who is a journalist of the VTM news. That is something that we can see by many transgenders. She doesn’t face discrimination at her work, but she knows other transgenders who are fired for being themselves. We can say that being a transgender doesn’t come without issues, so it is not easy to make the choice. Bo Van Spilbeeck also waited very long to show who she really was, because she was afraid of the reactions. Being transgender can sometimes be combined with a few mental problems. They sometimes have to deal with mental diagnosis called gender dysphoria. This means that they have a mental problem with not being born in the right body. This can be solved by a medical surgery so they can configure their body to look more like they feel. Some people do not accept them in the way they are and this can cause other mental problems like depressions or suicidal thoughts. Although not everyone accept them, there are symbols that stand for the identity of transgenders. In this symbols you mostly occurred out of a combination of the symbol of men and women. Holy Boswell made a variant in 1993 where an arrow in combination with a cross the circle traversed. This is now the symbol of Unicode. In 1999 Monica Helms, a transgender, designed a transgender flag. Another transgender flag is designed in 2002 by Jennifer Pellinen.
Symbol of Unicode Transgender flag Transgender flag
(Holy Boswell) (Monica Helms) (Jennifer Pellinen)
The evolution
The first healthcare of a transgender took place in the early 1900s. A German physician named Magnus Hirschfeld was an important pioneer of studies in sexuality which was established in the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin. A couple of decades later another man laid the foundation for modern transgender healthcare in America. His name was Harry Benjamin. He wrote the first textbook on this subject in 1966 called: “The Transsexual Phenomenon.” These two men laid the groundwork for transgender health care but now, physicians are much better equipped with the therapies needed to help patients begin their gender transition with medical therapies, surgical changes, or both. A transgender community developed but the many letters of “LGBTQ+” were used as an umbrella term however, still somehow divided. It is important to know for which it stand and to respect it. If we go into the history of the word “transgender,” we see how blurry these lines are. Originally, in Western scientific thought, there was no line between “homosexual” and “transgender.” In the 19th and 20th century the word “invert” was used for someone with the traits of the “opposite” gender. This was used to explain same-sex love but also to explain the behaviour of not acting like you’re supposed to do in your gender. Scientific terms like “homosexual” or “transsexual” came in our life because humanity wanted to understand a sexual and romantic identity different from the standard. The words “trans” and “cis” ( a cisgender is someone whose sense of personal identity corresponds to the sex and gender assigned to them at birth) had to put people into a category, in this field of “sexology” (in gender studies). Later on it became more refined and terms like “transvestite” were used by people and communities to identify themselves and their personal experiences. When people are asked to define the word transgender nearly one third was unable to give an accurate descriptiion. Researchers got this answers: “Girl becomes a man in an operation”, “When a person prefers both genders for relations”, “Someone who has both female and male body parts”, “Like a drag queen”
None of them is the exact definition of the word transgender. Even the word “gay,” or “homosexual” to many, would now sometimes be called as being “trans”. In de 50’s the word “transgender” was used as a distinct from LGB. First, the LGB/T split was political. Many early activist organizations rejected the more transgressive elements of gay cultures. In their eyes, a man should wear a suit and a tie and a woman a dress and heels. Than, and only than you could be employable. That transgenders were pushed away has also offered them an advantage, it allowed them to become more legible in society.
So, the LGB/T split was violent, but for many people the split between “transgender” and terms as “gay” has been empowering. Because if there exists a concrete term, it could inspire others to be honest about their struggles and identity problems. It gives them also the creativity and freedom to use other words and terms.
Since the foundation of scientific LGBT+ it is clear that legibility comes at a cost. Many people prefer their own term because to come up with precise labels to describe human sexuality and gender can be a dangerous thing. It is very complex to describe a human feeling with an almost biological term.
Today, there are still people against the many shades of gender and identity in the world. Those people have difficulties to understand their nature and don’t want it to become eligible to the mainstream. It has to stop because everyone should be accepted the way he is and it is not only our personal duty to question the words we use, but a political one as well. The labour market is still figuring out how to deal with it because the concept is still something new and (especially) upcoming but, a transgender should enjoy the same rights as he had before his/her’s changement and it is forbidden by law to discriminate on the basis of gender. We hope for a peaceful future where everyone can be themselves without judgement or discrimination.
Transgender inequality
Transgender inequality is the unequal protection that transgender people enjoy at work, at school and in society in general. Transexual People are regularly bullied in a transphobic way. One of the main reasons why transgenders face inequality is ultimately due to a lack of public understanding for transgenders.
Common misconceptions
A common misconception is that a transgender is therefore homosexual. However, being transgender focuses more on gender identity and not on sexual orientation. A transgender person can identify with any sexual orientation. Another important misunderstanding is that people who crossdress are transgender. However, many cross dressers are comfortable with their assigned sex. Although persons participating in a cross dressing are officially covered by the Transgender umbrella, most of them do not identify themselves as transgenders.
The status of transgenderism as a mental disorder is widely disputed. Many transgenders deal with gender dysphoria, this means that there is no connection between the assigned sex at birth and the sex with the individuals identify themselves.
Inequality at…
Work
Transgender workers may find it difficult to deal with the traditional workplace due to established gender standards that limit the roles that are seen and expected of them. In the case of colleagues, there may be plaging and/or discrimination that further influences the emotional state of transgender workers. Employers sometimes withdraw job offers and opportunities because of discrimination against employees with different gender identities.
School
Those who identify themselves as transsexual at an early age may have problems if their identity conflicts with the judgement of the traditional school protocol, whether public or private. Discrimination can come from classmates who tease transgender people or cause physical injury as a result of transphobia. Because of incidents like this, Transgender Memorial Day was established to respect and remember gender non-conformers killed by prejudice. This annual event is internationally recognised in schools, neighbourhoods and churches. Mental and physical stress caused by various forms of abuse by their peers is an unfortunate effect on openly transgender students.
Transgender inequality for people of color
Many believe that transgender individuals of color face additional financial, social and interpersonal challenges as a result of structural racism compared to the transgender community as a whole. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, the combination of prejudice against transsexuals with structural and individual racism means they experience particularly high levels of discrimination in colour. In particular, black transgender in particular reported the highest level of discrimination among all transgender individuals of color.
Transgender people and unequal treatment in the LGBT community
Beginning in the 1990s , lesbian and gay organisations added transgender persons to their business because at that time they were confronted with many of the same prejudices. During this time, the gay and lesbian community often referred to their organisations as defending the interests of, and "serving the needs of, all gay Amaricans. Through this description, many Americans associate the term transgender with homosexuality. Some members of the LGBT community feel uncomfortable with transgender persons and their problems. In Kristin Schilt's "Just One of the Guys?" she interviews transgender men who have experienced symbolism while working in LGBT organisations. In other words, because LGBT communities contain the 'T', they need a transgender representative as part of the organisation. Schilt says that many transgender people experienced as the only one responsible for knowing something about the fact that transgender. When someone within the LGBT organizations had questions about transgender issues, they were always referred to the symbolic transgender representative. The unequal treatment of transgender persons may have to do with the fact that not all transgender persons are homosexuals. Schilt also concluded that some homosexual transsexuals were treated badly by more cisgenic homosexuals, because they were thought to have made the choice to be homosexual. Showing transfobia and heterosexuality by gay communities therefore leads to inequality.
Tyler Curry, the editor-in-chief of HIV Equal Online and an award-winning LGBT columnist, says: "While we continue to make progress in the fight for equal rights, it has become clear that the 'T' in LGBT is being ignored because gay men and women still dominate. By being part of the acronym of the same gender, trans-persons are rarely recognized as a unique group that needs its own specific agenda in order to achieve equality. Instead, they are often seen as an obscure and misunderstood subgroup of the homosexual community. Many people in the LBG community do not identify with transsexuals and believe that the rights of gays and transsexuals should be separated. This view stems from many reasons, including the difference between sexual identity and gender identity, and whether or not each of them is considered to be a "choice".
Belgium
The rights of Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) in Belgium are seen as some of the most progressive in Europe and in the world. In 1795, same-sex sexual activity was legalized with an equal age of majority. In 2000, Belgium granted benefits to same-sex couples. In 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.This adoption was completely legalized in 2006 and is equalized with that of opposite-sex adoption. There is also protection for transgenders against discrimination. From 01/01/18, transgenders can have their gender registration and first name officially adjusted on civil status records and in the population register without medical conditions. When Boudewijn van Spilbeeck declared this year(2018) to be a transgender and go through life as Bo Van Spilbeeck, transgenderism became popular and more was said about this subject.
Belgium has officially been referred as one of the most gay friendly countries in the world, because a majority of Belgians support same-sex marriage and adoption.
During several years, Belgium organises special days and help for transgenders. These are some examples.
In 2012: the first T-day was organised. It is the meeting day for trans persons and their environment.
In 2013: the Transgender Info Point for information on transgenderism was established.
In May 2016: The Flemish government has hanging a Rainbow Flag.
On 8 June 2017, the Diversity Policy Office organised an Open @ Work Network session for the first time on the theme of "gender fluidity/queer". It is a joint initiative aimed at connecting LGBT and transgender employees.
On 17 May: It is the international day against Gayophobia and Transfoby (IDAHOT). The Flemish government wants to use this symbolic action to draw attention to discrimination against LGBT people and transgenders, both on and off the shop floor.
A study of Ugent has analyzed in 2016 that Belgium is in the top 3 as the most favoured position for transgenders.
OECD study
Belgium is generally doing good on transgenderism. It is the thirteenth most acceptable country for LGBT(lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) according to a comparative study by the OECD (= Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). This study compared the acceptance of LGBT and transgender in 35 countries. They concluded that Iceland is the best performer in terms of acceptance. Belgium ranks thirteenth. The OECD compared attitudes from 1981-2000 to 2001-2014. The acceptance increased everywhere. The report notes that the acceptance of LGBTs within OECD member countries is better than outside. Countries who make efforts in their legislation also score better. The better the acceptance of immigration, the better the acceptance of LGBT and transgender people.
Belgian transgenders feels discriminated
Things are certainly not going badly in our country. Belgium has been a very advanced country in terms of transgender policy for many years. But an article from 2015 states that 53 percent of Belgian transgender people feel discriminated because of their identity. Our country must focus on tackling violence. 42% of European transgender people have experienced violence three times or more in the past year. On average, 53% of Belgian transgender people claim to be discriminated when looking for a job, this is the highest percentage. But this can mean that the proportion of people who actually have experience of applying for transgender status is higher in Belgium than in other countries. In contrast to other countries, Belgian transgenders find easier access to healthcare and our country is also one of the top five countries in Europe in terms of discrimination in schools. So this is good but there is still a lot of work.
Transgenders at the Flemish government
The Diversity Policy Office investigated the situation of LGBT and transgender people at the Flemish government (2014). The survey was about the attitude towards LGBT and transgender people among all employees of the Flemish government. Themes such as atmosphere at the workplace, coming out and negative reactions to LGBT and transgender people were discussed. The questions were based on a similar survey in 2008. This was useful to establish trends and evolutions in the attitude of the Flemish civil servant towards LGBT people.
The results were that Flemish civil servants are now more positive towards LGBT colleagues, compared to 2008. For example, more civil servants know LGBT people, they accept parenthood for LGBT people and there are less LGBT responses from the Flemish government. Moreover, more Flemish civil servants 80.6% in 2014, 65% in 2008 believe that the Flemish government, as an employer, should pursue an equal opportunities policy for LGBT and transgender people.
The survey among the staff members of the Flemish government shows that LGBT people and transgenders are well represented on the shop floor.
Compared to 2008, there are more gays and lesbians among the managers. It is striking that homosexual workers more often have a university degree in comparison with heterosexuals or lesbians.
Despite the positive evolution, there is still work to be done. For example, a quarter of the LGB respondents indicated that they had experienced sexual insinuation against themselves or against a LGBT colleague. A quarter of the LGBs indicate that colleagues use words such as 'flicker', 'mannish woman '… in conversations with or about them, with 5% indicating that they are intended to be offensive.
Gender Neutrality in Belgium
This year, in June, the Flemish government decided to omit the mention 'm/f' from its vacancies. They also have have given the message that it isn’t gender that plays a role, but competences, they emphasize the neutral language. There are also gender-neutral toilets which could provide added value for transgenders in transition.The Flemish government continues to raise the awareness about gender neutrality.
The National Register
It registers when someone officially changes of sex. But not every transsexual person is officially registered. It is not possible to determine the exact number, but estimates are made on the basis of the number of people who ever contact the emergency services or the healthcare system.
Since 1993, the number of changes in gender reporting has increased over the years. The peaks can be attributed to various factors. The peak in 2008 can be explained by a change in the legislation. In 2007, a law came into force which made an amendment to the official gender declaration an administrative matter.
Most of the transgender people in Belgium are located in the Flemish region.
Transgender people who make the transition from woman to man are usually younger than reversed. Most transgenders who changed from man to women and reversed are between the 25-34 year.
3 graphs -> Source:Rijksregister (editing IGVM)
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is considered to be one of the most liberal countries of Central Europe in terms of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.
Transgender
The situation of transsexual and transsexual people is very specific, not only in the so-called sexual minorities, where they have always been outsiders, but also at a social level, or even according to the law. Text change of transgender persons is regulated by a specific law in the Czech Republic. The law forces the persons should divorce or be castrated or sterilized. There are also transsexuals who want to change sex in official documents, but who cannot or do not want to have the surgery.
The first sex change operation in the country took place in 1942, when a missionary subsequently changed his legal gender. Currently, 50-60 people annually undergo such operations in the country of the 10.6 million inhabitants.
In order to be covered by the health insurance, a request for a change of gender markers and treatment is assessed by a committee at the Ministry of Health. After approval, the applicant undergoes one year of hormonal treatment, followed by a year of living in the social role of the other sex, including, for example, wearing what is considered to be an 'appropriate dress'. After this two-year period of treatment, the applicant's genitals can be surgically altered.
In the Czech Republic, there are several groups of transsexuals, but none of them are engaged in activism or intense changes of the law. Besides raising of public awareness, PROUD also deals with introducing the diversity of the transgender community.
Prague Pride Parade
Like other European metropolises, the Czech Republic started supporting the LGTB culture in 2008. Since then, the streets of Czech cities have been regularly illuminated by rainbow colours. This applies to both Prague and Brno, where the tradition of marching in defence of the rights of lesbians, gays, transsexuals and bisexuals was born with the support of the famous Czech tennis player Martina Navrátilová. Three years later, the rainbow parade marched through Prague. Every year, more and more people from the Czech Republic and abroad are added, who are not only committed to human rights, but also thanks to an interesting support programme and a relaxed atmosphere.
The event led to a number of negative reactions from religious conservative groups and the extreme right.
Conclusion
We can conclude that a transgender has to go through a lot to be who he or she want to be. Transgender doesn’t feel themselves good in their biological gender by birth and want to be the other one. There are different methods to do that. Bo Van Spilbeeck is a beautiful example. The Belgian woman is officially a woman now instead of a man. She didn’t undergo the surgery but used cross-dressing to be a woman. A lot of people think that struggling with gender identity has also something to do with sexual orientation, but that is absolutely not true. Transgenders still face inequality due to lack of public understanding. So, a transgender can’t enjoy from the same rights as a cisgender. If we look at Belgium and Czech Republic, we can conclude that both countries are very acceptable in terms of transgender.