mine, so I should have confidence. We shouldn’t compare our shortcomings
with their advantages. That’s how I see it. Even if you’re a real woman and you
look down on me, you’re still not as pretty or confident. That’s how I deal with it.
I don’t need to scold them.”95
Transgender people may experience discrimination at school or at work. In the
education system, bias and lack of gender
education means transgender students can suffer
from discrimination at school, impacting their
“Transgender people may
ability to concentrate on their studies, as well as
experience discrimination
having a profound psychological impact. Many
at school or at work. In the
transgender students end up dropping out of
education system, bias and
school and not completing their studies. Xiaomei
lack of gender education
comes from Shanghai and currently holds a
means transgender students
secondary school diploma. She told us: “If back
can suffer from discrimination
then I knew what was going on with me, and if I
at school, impacting their
hadn’t been surrounded by criticism and ridicule,
ability to concentrate on their
I wouldn’t have left school so soon, and I would
studies, as well as having
be better educated. Now my pay is limited by my
a profound psychological
education.”96
impact.”
Weila had a similar experience in school, which
also extended into the workplace. Coming to Shanghai from Hubei, she has been
forced to change her job many times:
“No matter what work I do, they never accept me wearing this [women’s
clothing]. Back then I didn’t really know how to dress, and it probably looked
weird to people. It was too inhibiting. I’ve changed jobs six or seven times, and
finally found work as a cleaner at a gay club.”97
She eventually moved into the sex industry.
In a society that distinguishes clearly between male and female, the lack of a clearcut gender puts great limitations on a person’s social space. Among the 70 people
we interviewed, only two had undergone sex reassignment surgery, but 30 had breast
95 Interview with Xue’er, July 19, 2014, Shanghai
96 Interview with Xiaomei, June 4, 2014, Shanghai.
97 Interview with Weila, August 15, 2014, Shanghai.
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