Translating Transgender: A laymans guide to the least-known minority E

Translating Transgender A laymans guide to the least-known minorityWho hasnt been told to just be yourself and people get hold out like you? It seems like such a straightforward notion. But what if being yourself could lead to harassment, rejection, isolation, unemployment, homelessness, physical violence, or even death? Not so simple anymore, is it? Sadly, this situation is one that confronts transgendered people worldwide on a daily basis. Laurie Johnson*, a tall, robust Fall River resident who underwent male-to-female sex reassignment surgery in 1998, says that she behind hardly leave her house without being hassled.The discrimination and harassment be al almost constant when Im dressed, she says. Ive heard total strangers comment Is that a man or a woman?. Ive been denied service at a bank because they claimed I was wearing a disguise. I tried to attend a business civilize where they required students to wear business attire. I was asked to leave the first day because I wa s disrupting the classes simply by being there. Sadly, Johnsons experiences are not uncommon. Many transgendered people, dressed or not, report encountering such discrimination and difficulties in their day-to-day lives, a lot of which can be largely attributed to the fact that, despite the great set ahead that has been made on the gender front, the worldwide public is still largely uneducated about the transgendered lifestyle. While the gay and lesbian movements have come to the header of our national consciousness as a result of the recent gay marriage controversy, the transgender movement has remained somewhat in the shadows. Indeed, the transgender culture is probably the least talked about, most commonly misunderstood minority in... ...owed up and talked to them for a while, then wrote a nice story but her editor squashed it because of the ad revenue they get from that chain. They dont usually bother me anymore, unless they have a new security worker.More than anything, whe n speaking of life as a transsexual, Johnson says she just wishes people would understand that transsexuals are just like everyone else in the world except when it comes to sex and gender. We can be generous or greedy, kind or cruel, loving or bigoted. Statistically, were smarter than the general population and, on average, more law abiding. I would just like to be left alone, she says. Justin Clemente has a slightly different outlook on things. If (as a society) we cant accept each other, how can we accept ourselves? he says. Diversity is honestly the spice of life, and with no spice, life SUCKS