Exploring Differences: A Research Project on the Transgender Community

What does it mean to be transgender?

A transgender individual is someone who's gender identity (or which gender they most closely identify with) is different than their biological sex (or the sex that was assigned to them at birth), as defined by the National Center for Transgender Equality. Gender identity includes your personal understanding and knowledge of your gender. Despite common misconceptions, gender identity is not a choice and people do not choose to have a gender identity that is different from their biological sex, in the same way that a cisgender person does not choose to be cisgender. This gender identity difference would go unnoticed without the presentation from the individual that is feeling the gender dysphoria (National Center for Transgender Equality, n.d.).

There will be a point in time where a transgender individual will discover that he/she is transgender and their sex does not align with their gender identity. This discovery can happen at any age, ranging from the time a child can speak to coming out as transgender as an elderly. The age that this happens can depend on the person's knowledge of the transgender community, the amount of acceptance of the transgender community in their families and friends, and the level of sexual exploration a person is at in their lifetime (National Center for Transgender Equality, n.d.). Ryan stated that he was very sheltered as a child, and even though he knew that he was different he didn't know that he could possibly be the wrong gender. He mentioned that he had recently found a self-portrait drawing with the words "This isn't me" above the drawing. This was from fifth grade, he stated - three years before he came out as identifying as a male. He explained that this drawing represented the feeling that something was wrong with his identity, but he didn't know what being transgender was until he was in junior high. Even then, he first identified as a lesbian before truly coming out as a male. He recalled "I had a few significant others as a lesbian but I didn't meet someone who was transgender until I was in high school and I joined sports and met someone who was [transgender]. You kind of have to meet someone who is transgender to understand being transgender" (Haag, 2021). Ryan's comment supports the idea that education about the LGBTQ+ community is important to understanding personal identity.

If an individual chooses to change to their preferred gender identity, they would undergo a period of time labeled "transitioning". The transitioning period can last a few weeks to many years. This period depends on various factors, including what the individual is willing and able to do when it comes to transition. Transitioning is commonly a male at birth transitioning to female, a female at birth transitioning to male, a male or female transitioning to non-binary, non-gender conforming, and/or genderfluid. This transition can be as simple as changing pronouns, or as complex as getting genital reassignment surgery. Transitioning can include changes in appearance, pronouns, surgeries, and changing legal identification documents. Transitioning is a process that does not abide to any rules or regulations, it is truly something that is entirely dependent on the transgender individual's preferences. Not only does transitioning rely on preferences, it also relies on the money that the transgender individual has available for spending on transitioning. Transitioning totals for surgeries, name change, hormone therapy, and wardrobe change can add up to more than $65 thousand dollars. This amount is usually not accessible for most people, and might restrict the extent of transitioning a person is wanting to do (Jackson, 2015).

Transitioning requires a transgender individual to accept themselves for who they really are, in order to become who they feel they should be. Ryan had some very important insight when it came to accepting yourself as a transman (the term used to describe a female at birth who currently identifies as a male). He stated that when he came out to his mother, he was told he needed to take some time to think about if transitioning was truly what he wanted. His mother's reaction caused him to express himself in a more feminine manner for a while, until he decided that he needed to change to express more masculine to become who he really is. Once he discovered himself, Ryan described his coming out as "...the final piece of the puzzle that you had been looking for" (Haag, 2021). Ryan explains that coming out is a relief and a wonderful experience after suffering in the wrong body for so many years.