Understanding Transgender Minds

Transgender (trans) people have been misunderstood for many years. In both the queer and heterosexual community, transgender people have been scrutinized because many do not understand the ways their minds work and the ways in which a trans person’s mind differentiates from theirs. When people do not understand or like something, they look down upon it instead of trying to learn about it. Although many do not understand transgender people, learning about the psychological development of a trans person's mind and their view of the world can teach and help people to understand why they are the way they are and not be so quick to judge because they are different.

Transgender is when a persons gender and personal identy is not in tune with the sex they were assigned at birth (Planned Parenthood 2019). For example, a child might be born as a boy but will live their life as a girl by doing things that girls do such as wearing dresses, playing with dolls, and choosing the color pink over blue because blue is considered a boy color to young children with developing minds. The concept of gender is different from sexual orientation because gender is one's innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither, and sexual orientation is an inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people ( hrc. org 2019). According to Dr Altinay, “gender is not only in our genitalia; there is something in the brain that determines gender. ” ( Altinay, 2019 pg. 1). Most people believe that the genitalia one was born with determines if one is male or female which can be confusing when it is not the case for everyone. The brain helps a person to determine their gender because it can show characteristics of both genders if a person is trans.

The Brain & its Differences

The male brain makes it harder for males to express emotions whereas women are able to easily express emotions and have better decision making skills (Price 2017). When it comes to tasks such as listening and interpreting males use the more central parts of the brain, whereas women use the majority of the brain ( Goldman 2017). Women's brains have more intuitive thinking whereas men have a more coordinated way of functioning. In the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the emphasis of worrying about things such as body image, depression, and housework involvement were used to see if the male and female brains worry and or think about different or the same things. The study concluded that 70 percent of the participants demonstrated both male and female characteristics ( Fine, Joel 2018, pg. 2). This is significant because it shows that the male and female brain are very much alike. In terms of transgender people, in most cases it is hard to tell whether a person is transgender or not unless they show the obvious signs from a young age.

The transgender brain is facinating. According to Dr. Altinay, a person who is trans tends to have a brain that resembles the sex that they identify with. (2016 pg. 1) Therefore, someone who was born as female and identifies as trans has certain characteristics and brain structures that correlate with the male brain.

Gender Dysphoria is when a person feels uncomfortable with their gender assigned at birth and does not align with the gender that they identify as (Parekh 2016). Gender Dysphoria predominantly affects those who are going through puberty and do not understand or like the abrupt changes that their body is going through as they age into an adult. This affects the way a person sees themselves. Often they see disordered images of themselves which can make them feel less confident and have psychological disorders such as anxiety. Children ages three and four can also start to show early signs of Gender Dysphoria. Signs that teenagers and adults are going through Gender Dysphoria are that they have strong feelings about being another gender, self harm, not taking part in activities such as swimming because they are scared to show a body that they are uncomfortable in, and hiding as well as feeling uncomfortable with their developing secondary sex charcteristics. Children exhibit signs such as wanting to play with the opposite gender over their own, wanting to wear clothing and play with toys that are meant for the other gender (Parekh 2016).

Disorders such as depression and anxiety can also act as a counterpart creating a much harder experience and mental barrier for those suffering from Gender Dysphoria. These things can cause a person to self mutilate, have or act upon suicidal thoughts, and isolate themselves. Gender Dysphoria can also lead to disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulima Nervosa, which are common eating disorders, because a person might feel as if they can control the way their body develops by malnursing it and stunting the development of their unwanted secondary sex charcteristics (Rome 2019). Gender dysphoria can be treated by attending treatment such as therapy and counseling. Also, many people such as those who are transgender get sex reassignment surgry and take hormone therapy in order to became the person that they feel inside but do not see physically.

Early Childhood

In early childhood the brain develops the most, and children learn the most. Children start to become self aware at around 15 to 24 months. They are able to recognize themselves, and years later, they are able to recognize gender roles around age three. These become more prominent when a child is five and six years old. When a child gets a sense of what makes a boy a boy and a girl a girl, they are able to decipher what they are and come to terms with what they want to be. For a child who is trans it can be hard and confusing for them to understand that they are different. Signs that parents of trans children can look for are gender dysphorphic behaviors such as saying that they are the opposing sex and perfering to be called a name that that is more suitable for the opposite sex. A parent can test their child’s actions by allowing them to dress and act as the opposite sex in public and around peers. If a child shows comfortability and happiness by being the opposite sex, a parent should allow the child to do so in order for them to accept and learn about themselves. This can be very hard for a parent because it can feel like they are losing a child but they are gaining and growing with a new child. It can also be hard for parents to not understand a trans child and blame themselves for why a child is the way they are.

Trans children often face bullying and discrimination at school from peers, especially if they start to transition around people they were around when they were non transitioned. Most children don't understand trans children, and negative behaviors can be influenced by adults who do not accept trans children. Some people just simply don't support the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Plus ( LGBTQ+ ) community, and teach their children not to either. In many cases, transitioning children change schools where they are only known as the gender in which they identify, building a new life and making new friends with children who they do not have to explain themselves to (Transgender Children & Youth 2019).

In early childhood, a trans child might start to take hormone blockers also known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists which block the intended effects of testosterone in males and estrogen in girls. When a child starts hormone therapy at a young age they often transition better as trans adults. For instance, a male to female trans person if on hormone blockers from a young age would not develop a very deep voice whereas an older male who is transitioning when they are almost done with puberty would have a deep voice, due to the amount of testosterone already in their body.

Transgender Adults

In America 1. 4 million adults identify as transgender ( Brown, Flores, Gates, Herman 2016, pg. 2). Transgender adults have faced being misjudged, misunderstood, and discriminated against. From a young age, they had to face traumatizing experiences and build courage to be strong and to be themselves. Trans adults have more of a choice in their means of transitioning than a child. Therefore, they can choose for themselves to transition and to have surgeries that would enhance and make them anatomically correct. As stated before a child, would take hormone blockers which prohibit the sex hormones estrogen or testosterone. An adult transgender person would take hormones such as estrogen or testosterone to promote the development of secondary sex characteristics while almost beridding the charcteristics that are not for their identified sex. Being on hormones make a big difference in adult transgender lives because it creates confidence and promotes positive body image as they are now transitioning physically to the gender that they feel on the inside.

Hormone therapy affects the body is many ways. A person who is transitioning from male to female will experience bodily changes such as reduced function of the testes which means that there is little to no ability to have children, breast development, hair loss and redistribution in certain parts of the body such as the face and head, and a higher pitch in the voice. (Mayo Clinic 2017). For a person who is transitioning female to male hormone therapy cause fertility function to delay. It is not abnormal for a trans male to receive their menstruation cycle and it is also possible for them to become pregnant. A trans male may also have changes such as a drop in his voice, growth of body hair on the face and the chest, and vaginal atrophy which is the thinning of the vaginal wall due to lack of estrogen (Mayo Clinic 2017). Later in life a trans adult may seek sex reassignment surgry to change their gentitalia and other body parts to match the way they feel. For trans males this may include a Subcutaneous Mastectomy (top surgery) which is the removal of breast tissue and ‎Metoidioplasty which is when the female genitalia is turned into a male genitalia. For a female trans individual they would get procedures such as a breast augmentation which is considered cosmetic because it enhances the natural breast produced from the estrogen hormone therapy. A ‎Vaginoplasty is performed to make the male genitalia into female genitalia. These changes in both male and female promote happiness and can alleviate Gender Dysphoria (MC 2017).

Transgender people have faced discrimination since the beginning of time. They are often made fun of, attacked in the streets, murdered, and pushed to commit sucicide. They also face unfair mistreatment in the workplace, and receive none or inadequate housing in poor communities. Statistics show that one in five trans people have been refused a home and 19% of the homeless population in the United States consist of transgender people ( Grant, Moettet, Tanis 2016, pg. 4). In the workplace trangender people face harassment tactics such as purposely being addressed as the pronouns which they identify as, not being allowed to use the bathrooms to which they identify as, and being refused and or fired from a job (Understanding Issues Facing Transgender Americans 2016 pg. 2). In many cases, a trnsgender person is let go from a job if they transition while working there and their colleagues are not accepting of their change. Health insurance is a very big matter in the transgender community. There are no laws in 38 states pertaining to adaquate health coverage for transgender people who are at a higher risk of getting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). (UIFTA 2016, pg. 7). This impacts the trans community negatively because they are not able to get the resources they need in order to have a healthy mind and body.

Transgender people have been misunderstood and degraded in society. They have been shamed and ridiculed for standing up for their rights and expressing themselves in their truest forms. There are many things that can be proven psychologically that seperate transgender people from what is known as normal. The abnormal findings do not compare to all the things that make transgender people just like everyone else. To conclude, trangender people have similar brain functions that correlate to the typical male and female brain. They face discrimination because of the way they look and carry themselves. The lives of trans children and adults are much more complicated than normal developing children and people. It is important to shine light on this topic to inform those who do not understand why trans people are the way they are and it is significant for everyone to have the knowledge of people who are different in order to at least tolerate what they can not accept.

References

1. C. W. (2016). Violence and experience of transgender individuals : How this impacts their supports.
2. Erickson-Schroth, L. (2014). Trans bodies, trans selves: a resource for the transgender community. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA.
3. Flores, A. R, Herman, J. L, Gates, G. J Brown, T. N. T. (2016). How Many Adults Identify as Transgender in the United States? Los Angeles, C. A: The Williams Institution
4. Goldman, B. , & DuBois, G. (n. d. ). How men's and women's brains are different. Retrieved from https://stanmed. stanford. edu/2017spring/how-mens-and-womens-brains-are-different. html.
5. Haines, B. A. , Ajayi, A. A. , & Boyd, H. (2014). Making trans parents visible: Intersectionality of trans and parenting identities. Feminism & Psychology, 24(2), 238–247.
6. Human Rights Campaign, J. olson. . Ask The Expert: Is My Child Transgender? Retrieved from https://www. hrc. org/resources/transgender-children-youth-ask-the-expert-is-my-child-transgender
7. Joel, D. , & Fine, C. (2018, December 3). Can We Finally Stop Talking About 'Male' and 'Female' Brains? Retrieved from https://www. nytimes. com/2018/12/03/opinion/male-female-brains-mosaic. html.
8. Kennedy, R. , & Farley, L. (2019). Transgender Children. Childhood Studies.
9. Mayo Clinic. (n. d. ). Retrieved from https://www. mayoclinic. org/.
10. Parenthood, P. (n. d. ). What Does Transgender Mean?: Gender Identification Facts. Retrieved from https://www. plannedparenthood. org/learn/sexual-orientation-gender/trans-and-gender-nonconforming-identities.
11. Price Apr, M. , KaiserSep, J. , McTighe, K. , MervisSep, J. , EnserinkSep, M. , KaiserSep, J. , … FrederickSep, E. (2017, December 8). Study finds some significant differences in the brains of men and women. Retrieved from https://www. sciencemag. org/news/2017/04/study-finds-some-significant-differences-brains-men-and-women.
12. Sawyer, K. , Thoroughgood, C. , & Webster, J. (2016). Queering the Gender Binary: Understanding Transgender Workplace Experiences. Sexual Orientation and Transgender Issues in Organizations, 21–42.
13. Staff, M. C. (2017, September 1). Children and gender identity: Supporting your child. Retrieved from https://www. mayoclinic. org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/children-and-gender-identity/art-20266811
14. Team, S. (2019, March 26). Research on the Transgender Brain: What You Should Know. Retrieved from https://health. clevelandclinic. org/research-on-the-transgender-brain-what-you-should-know/
15. Transgender FAQ. (2018, June 1). Retrieved from https://www. glaad. org/transgender/transfaq.
16. W. B. (2015, November 19). The Psychology of Transgender. Retrieved from https://www. apa. org/news/press/releases/2015/11/psychology-transgender
17. Understanding Issues Facing Transgender Americans. (2016, January 12) PDF.