Transgender individuals have struggled to fight for their
rights just as the rest of the LGBT community. One of the main
struggles for transgender people has been what their “legal” sex is (Currah
& Minter, 2000). This in itself seems strange to me, why does
the government have the need to label male or female? When we look
into the first nations capitalized culture
people with diverse gender identities were seen as unique and not attempted to
change who they are as they are special contributors (Brotman & Levi,
2008). However, in the society we live in today this is what is
happening.
Ontario has moved forward from their previous efforts
to label gender. Ontario’s previous policy to be able to change your
sex on your birth certificate was that the person needed to undergo
“transsexual surgery” (Houston, 2012). This seems a little
unrealistic for those who have a great fear of the surgery itself or the risks
associated with surgery as well as lack of funds to be able to get the surgery
or the ability to afford the time off of work. According to Currah
and Minter (2000) transgendered people have been discriminated against in many
issues because they are seen as not good enough to be protected and in some
aspects not human.
This is why I think that the new policy is extremely
important. Ontario is now enforcing new requirements to legally
change a person’s sex on their birth certificate other than having to undergo
surgery (Houston, 2012). Ideas such as having a guarantor confirming
that that person is living as a particular gender have been thought of
(Houston, 2012). Having this in place would put less emotion strain
on the transgender community. I am hoping this has a trickledown effect
and Ontario will not be the only one changing the policy. This
allows for one step at a time for equal rights of people no matter race, sex or
any other label that is given. Equal
rights are a belief of the liberal perspective (Habermas, 1995). Liberalism is meant to look at everyone equally
no matter their differences and to allow for equal opportunities for everyone (Habermas,
1995). There is advocacy in liberalism
for ones individuality (Habermas, 1995). This is
a perfect example for the transgender community in order to let everyone be who
they are.
-Britney
Brotman, S., & Levi, J. (2008). Intersections: Cultures,
Sexualités Et Genres. Quebec: Presses de l’Universite du Quebec.
Currah, p., & Minter, S. (2000). Unprincipled
Exclusions: The Struggle to Achieve Judicial and Legislative Equality for
Transgender People. William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law.
7 (1), 37-66.
Habermas, J. (1995). Multiculturalism
and the Liberal State. Stanford Law Review, 47, 849-853
Houston, A. (2012). Ontario Trans Rights Decision Makes
Canadian History. Canada’s Gay and Lesbian News. Retrieved
from
http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Ontario_trans_rights_decision_makes_Canadian_history-11845.aspx
I had no idea that the policy for changing genders was so strict. I definitely see how bias it is especially to those individuals who are less fortunate and could not afford to physically change their sex. If this new policy was to be enforced it would be a move to a much more equitable society in which we value people and understand that they do not alway fit into a box that we can check off.
ReplyDeleteHoda
I never even knew it was possible to change your sex legally, along with the fact that with changing your sex I definitely would have never imaged it to be so hard. After reading this post my first thought was "What about those other people who went through the surgery just because they had to to be able to change their sex when maybe they didn't want to go that far into it and do the surgery." Now these people would be stuck with something forever. It is so upsetting how the government goes about doing things throughout the world. It is great though that they changed the law and now allow you to change your gender much easier. I hope since this progress increased towards being more positive, it will stay positive and the government wont make any more "stupid" and "useless" decisions.
ReplyDeleteBy: Hunter