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Transgender inclusion at bhs

This program aims to build awareness of transgender history, promote the use of respectful language and pronouns, and create a more inclusive space for transgender, intersex, and gender-nonconforming individuals at BHS.

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Transgender inclusion at bhs

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  1. Transgender inclusionat bhs Marsha P Johnson(1945-1992) Sylvia Rivera (1951-2002)

  2. #GOALS • Build awareness of transgender history and its interconnectedness with racial equity • Practice using contemporary terms to respectfully identify individuals by their correct gender & pronouns • Become more comfortable talking to and about transgender, intersex, and GNC (gender-nonconforming) people and issues • Imagine institutional changes that will make BHS a more trans-inclusive space for people of various backgrounds

  3. Take a moment to *silently* reflect on your personal experienceswith transgender people and/or transphobia. Then, share out: What ground rules are important for our group to follow while discussing this topic?

  4. Case studies in trans history

  5. A note on language • Cisgender • Gender non-conforming (GNC) • Transgender • Trans woman/femme • Trans man/masc • Intersex • Drag King/Queen

  6. Indigenous HISTORY: Then & Now What does it mean to be Two Spirit? “Two spirit is a totally contemporary term. It was brought to the table because anthropologists referred to us as berdache. Native LGBTQ people wanted a term that could give us the opportunity to take back our identities…So much has been lost. [LGBTQ] people had to go underground for so long. I don’t even know who to talk to back home; they are all in the closet.” --Kristopher Kohl Miner of the Ho-Chunk Nation We’wha (Zuni nation)(1849-1896)

  7. Colonization & criminalization • 1691: Buggery Law put into effect • At the time, “buggery” was legally defined as sexual intercourse per anum by a man with a man or woman, or intercourse per anum or per vaginam by either a man or a woman with an animal. • 1749: The case of “Miss Sarah” • 1787: NYS passes law mandating death sentence for “buggery” • 1796: NYS abolished death penalty for the “crime of buggery”

  8. 19th Century urbanization and western expansion • White children’s literature • Leslie Nelson; Or, the Boy Girl (1831) • Billy Bedlow; Or, the Girl Boy (1831) • The Tomboy Who Was Changed Into a Real Boy (1859) • 1848: NYC amends NYS Vagrancy Law to forbid anyone from “being in disguise in public” • 1856: Arrest and trial of Charley Linden, a white trans man • Ends with him successfully winning his trial on the basis that he was not “in disguise,” but dressed as his true self

  9. 19th Century:Slavery and the police state • 1845: creation of NYC police force; 24/7 patrol • 1851: Fugitive Slave Act How did these two developments affect black trans folks in growing urban centers like NYC?

  10. Daily National Intelligencer (Washington, DC), September 29, 1851.

  11. 19th Century:letters from the civil war • 1860s: Lyons Wakeman, a white trans man, enlisted in the 153rd Regiment of New York State Volunteers for $152 (more than a year’s wages). • Letter correspondence with family saved and published in the book An Uncommon Soldier (1996) • Sends a picture of himself to his family and writes, “How do you like the looks of my likeness?” • Also writes, “I’m not sorry that I left you.” • Dies of disease during the war in a military hospital in Louisiana and is buried there under his proper name • When census-takers come to his family’s home, the parents say, “We lost a son in the war.”

  12. That’s it FOR TRANSGENDER HISTORY!Nothing else happened after thaTand we all liveD happily ever after!

  13. Identifying people by Their correct gender and pronouns

  14. Biological essentialism • Biological essentialism, in terms of gender/sex, is the belief system that… • people are born into 1 of 2 “biological sex” categories: “male” or“female” • certain body partsand/or mental characteristics are inherently “male” or “female” • i.e. you’re either “a real woman” or “a real man” • people are “born a boy” or “born a girl” • trans people must then medically “transition” in order to become “the opposite sex/gender” via surgery, hormone therapy, psychotherapy, etc.

  15. Why unlearn BIOLOGICAL ESSENTIALISM? “Evidence strongly suggests that gender identity is innate or fixed at a young age and that gender identity has a strong biological basis… With the exception of some serious childhood cancers, gender dysphoria is the most fatal condition that I treat because of the harms that flow from not properly recognizing gender identity. Attempted suicide rates in the transgender community are over 40%, which is a risk of death that far exceeds most other medical conditions. The only treatment to avoid this serious harm is to recognize the gender identity of patients with gender dysphoria and differences of sex development.” –Dr. Deanna Adkins, M.D.

  16. violence against trans people in recent years • The average life span for a trans woman is 30-35 y/o • 80% of trans persons killed are 35 or younger • 57% of trans women of colormake <$10,000/year • 55% unemployment rate for black trans folks • 40% of trans adults report having made a suicide attempt • 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25 • Source: Nat’l Transgender Discrimination Survey(2011) by National Center for Transgender Equality Islan Nettles (1992-2013) Rest in Power

  17. Gender identity vs. assigned Sex/gender at birth • What is gender identity? • According to Deanna Adkins, M.D.: • It refers to a person’s inner sense of belonging to a particular gender, such as male, female, both/neither, or something else • It is a deeply felt and core component of a person’s identity • It is something everyone has • Gender identity cannot be voluntarily altered, including for transgender people

  18. Aaron’s

  19. Best practices: pronouns Make giving pronouns a routine part of introductions/meetings w/names and job titles When in doubt, at an appropriate time, ask,“What are your pronouns?” If you mess up, acknowledge your mistake, apologize and then QUICKLY move on If you hear/see someone else being misgendered, take it on a case-by-case basis, of whether or not to correct the person (e.g. Catherine at VS)

  20. Get comfortable… or uncomfortable!time to practice

  21. Turn to the people around you and introduce yourself, as if for the first time!EX: “Hi my name is ______, I go by ________ (she/he/they/etc) pronouns.”

  22. Open up your imagination… it’s time to envision ways of making space for people of all genders

  23. How can we design our spaces to be more trans inclusive?

  24. How can we design our spaces to be more trans inclusive?

  25. Example of accessible language for trans people from Brooklyn Bridge Park:

  26. Suggestions from your friendly, neighborhood trans man • When holding events, workshops, meetings, etc. make it routine to introduce names and pronouns of participants during introductions • Hire more transgender people, especially trans/GNC people of color, at BHS! • Be pro-active about showing support for trans people • If cisgender people/cultural institutions are neutral/don’t show vocal support for trans folks in job offerings/descriptions, it is safest for us to assume that we do not have your support! “To be neutral is to be on the side of the oppressor.” –Desmond Tutu

  27. Thank you for your time

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