Transgender is a
term that refer to a diverse group of individuals who challenge socially and
culturally constructed gender norms. The term was used to refer to
transvestites (those who desire to wear clothing associated with another sex).
In contemporary context the term has broadened to include a number of gender
variant groups: male-to-female transsexuals; female-to-male transsexuals;
transgenderists (those who live in the gender role associated with another sex
without sex reassignment surgery); bigender persons (those who identify as both
man and woman); drag queens and kings (typically gay men and lesbian women,
respectively, who dress in women's and men's clothing); and intersexed persons
(those born with ambiguous genitalia).
Transgender
refers to an identity that does not stick to the strict categories of man and
woman. Transgender identity differs from biological conditions that produce
ambiguous physical characteristics often associated with gender. Through
genetic and chromosomal testing (karyotyping), typically an individual's
biological sex is determined to be either female or male. A differentiation
between sex and gender must be understood to grasp the complexity of these
variations.
Since the early twentieth
century a number of theories have been proposed in an effort to understand and
explain gender variant identities. Early theories proposed by John Money, Harry
Benjamin, and Richard Green tended to view gender identity as resulting from
pathology deeply rooted in the psyche. However, the introduction of feminist
and queer theories, which challenged the traditional gender binary, created an
interest in understanding alternative gender identities, including transgender.
The term transgender derives
from relatively new concepts surrounding gender identity theory. Though there
is no specific author cited for the original use of the term, Virginia Prince
was one of the first researchers to use the term in an academic context in the
early 1960s. Later, transgender gained use among the gay, lesbian, bisexual,
and transsexual community as a distinct identity category independent of
sex/gender role and sexual orientation. This identity category served as a
contrast to transsexual, differentiating between individuals who sought
surgical and hormonal interventions and those who did not.
Since the mid-1980s there
has been a noticeable rise in activism by transgender communities both at the
social and political level. In 2006 the State of New Jersey passed a bill that
extended civil rights protection to transgender individuals and nondiscrimination
laws protecting gender identity and expression have been enacted in several
states. The increased visibility and activism of transgender communities has
challenged traditional constructions of gender and created a space for
alternative gender identities within society.
Curiosity:
Transgenders
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Tabú Latinoamerica: Cambio
de género
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