The struggles of gender transition (Part I)
Christina Campbell, MSW, RSW, Sexologist
Sexual minorities are a group whose sexual identity,
orientation or practices differ from the majority of the
surrounding society. Usually, Sexual minorities comprise
of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.
Over the years, the terms used to identify sexual
minorities have changed substantially. Today, the LGBTQ
community represents people whose sexual orientation
is not heterosexual. It includes those who are lesbian,
gay and bisexual (attracted to both men and women)
and queers (those who do not identify or adhere to the
norms that define different sexual orientations and gender
identities). The community also includes people whose
gender identity differs from the one assigned at birth—
that is, transgender and transsexual individuals, often
simply called trans.
Transgender, or trans are people whose gender identity
differs from their assigned sex. Transgender and trans are
umbrella terms that embrace many different identities.
Trans people may also identify as gender-neutral, gender
queer or gender fluid, non-binary, and may indentify as a
combination of male and female or as neither. Many trans
people report identifying as a member of the opposite
sex from an early age, while others say that they only
identified as trans during their teens. A trans person may
or may not become fully bodily reassigned in their true
gender identity. They may or may not receive hormone
therapy, have gender related surgery or obtain legal
recognition of their change of gender. At some time in
their life, perhaps after long periods of cross-dressing
privately and/or publicly, many seek professional
advice. This may depend on their personal and social
circumstances, family support and degree of motivation.
Individuals in our communities have long been left to
live in the shadows, facing discrimination in employment
and housing, being rejected by their families and peer
groups, health related challenges, and at times even
dealing with violence.
The struggle for acceptance and safety among the
transgender community has finally reached the national
conversation but it is clear much work is left to be done.
Resources
https://www.senioradvice.com/articles/the-struggles-and-
triumphs-of-transgender-seniors
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/
transgender-parenting-oct-2014.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4051396/
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/
AFSP-Williams-Suicide-Report-Final.pdf
https://www.outlife.org.uk/being-
transgender?gclid=CjwKCAjwiN_
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La transition de genre n’est pas toujours facile
Christina Campbell, MSW, RSW, Sexologue
Le terme minorités sexuelles désigne les personnes dont
l’identité de genre, l’orientation sexuelle ou les pratiques
sexuelles diffèrent de celles de la majorité des membres
de la société.
Les mots pour dénommer ces personnes ont beaucoup
changé au fil des ans. Aujourd’hui, la communauté
LGBTQ représente les personnes qui ne sont pas
hétérosexuelles : lesbiennes, homosexuels, personnes
bisexuelles (se dit des personnes qui sont attirées
sexuellement par des personnes de leur sexe et des
personnes de sexe différent) et personnes de genre queer
(se dit des personnes qui, par le biais de leur identité, de
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leur expression de genre et de leurs pratiques sexuelles,
remettent en cause les normes sociales en matière de
genre). Elle représente aussi les personnes transgenres et
transsexuelles (qu’on appelle simplement les trans), c’est
à dire les personnes dont le genre ne correspond pas à
celui qui leur a été assigné à la naissance.
L’expression générique transgenre ou trans englobe
plusieurs identités : les non genrés, les personnes de
genre queer ou variant, les personnes non binaires et
celles qui s’identifient aux deux genres ou à ni l’un ni
l’autre des genres. Un grand nombre de trans affirment
s’être identifiés à un membre du sexe opposé dès