Transgender Awareness Week, 13-19 November 2020
I would like to start this blog by firstly paying tribute to the transgender community – a community to which we owe a debt of gratitude. They helped pave the way for LGBTQ+ liberation from the days of the Stonewall Riots. If it wasn’t for the trans community – particularly trans people of colour, then the rights we enjoy today as LGBTQ+ folks, simply wouldn’t have materialised.
The Transgender Pride Flag consists of five horizontal stripes: two light blue, two pinks, and one white in the center.
I also want to recognise that this week is also about raising the visibility of the trans community and helping to raise awareness of some of the issues that members of the community still face. For me, this is about educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing their stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy around the issue of mental health, as well as eliminating the prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affects the transgender community.
The issue of discrimination and stigma
The transgender community still experiences huge discrimination, including from within the LGBTQ+ community, and from the institutions providing mental health support. This is one of the most affected and vulnerable groups when it comes to mental health needs. Reaching out for professional support in the first place is difficult. The trans community is more likely to face bullying, harassment and violence from an early age, and very often mental health professionals may not fully understand the complexity of their experiences, which can lead to sub-standard diagnosis. Did you know:
Two out of every 3 trans people disengage from mental health support because of their experiences with mental health professionals.
Two thirds of trans people (67 per cent) have experienced depression in the last year.
Two in five trans people and three in ten non-binary people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months. [1]
Two in five trans people adjust the way they dress because they fear discrimination or harassment. This number increases to one in two in the non-binary community.
Raising awareness
For this year’s Transgender Awareness Month, I’d like focus on two points that I think most of us can take some action on:
Continue to educate ourselves - have conversations with trans people, and seek out resources and information (see resources below).
Be mindful of what the media shows us and how it has historically portrayed transgender and gender non-binary people. A recent Netflix documentary, Disclosure shed light on this issue, offering an in-depth look at Hollywood's depiction of transgender people.
My message to the transgender and non-binary community is this: firstly, trust that there are medical professionals, whether cis gendered or in the LGBTQ+ community, who can provide you with holistic support; and secondly, like everyone in the LGBTQ+ community, your journey is unique and special – explore it, embrace it and celebrate it!
Resources:
NHS Choices - Living My Life guide.
All About Trans - Positively changing how the media understands and portrays transgender people.
Gendered Intelligence – a charity whose mission is to increase the understandings of gender diversity.
Stonewall – truth about trans guide.
[1] Stonewall, 2018. https://www.stonewall.org.uk/system/files/lgbt_in_britain_-_trans_report_final.pdf