“I can’t afford the travel fee. If I have to often go back and forth, it’ll be too much. ” Poom, a 22-year-old transman told us a story of his hormone therapy journey since he was 18 without his family’s objection. Not because his family is understanding, but he has none. His mother and father separated, his father sent him to live in another province to avoid the tension and pressure of being a stepchild in the new family. That is why it is fair to say that he in fact ‘doesn’t have a family.’
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Not enough health clinics that offer gender transition services is another problem that reflects the intersectionality among transgender people, especially the young ones. They do not have a stable income, thus they have to ask for their parent’s permission and money for not only the therapy but also the travel fee until they are able to afford it for themselves in the future.
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Since it’s Transgender Awareness Week, GendersMatter is working together with UNDP Thailand to clear up misunderstandings about transgender people. Today’s topic is “Intersectionality and Transgender Youth.”
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#Intersectionality – is a condition where a person in a society is oppressed by several factors. It includes poverty that makes it more difficult for poor transgender people to access gender-related services due to the lack of financial resources. Or it may result from their having their residence in rural areas far from facilities and infrastructure that force them to travel and bear the expense on their own. It also includes the lack of education and other oppression such as races and religions that do not accept some of the individualities. These are all about intersectionality.
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#HowIsThisImportant – When there are media portrayals of transgender in Thailand, they usually are all from middle-class families. Though they are intersectional in other aspects, those are far from being poor or having harder access to medical services compared to those living far from the capital. Thus, when no other presentations of this transgender are portrayed, many of them are seen as being different from society’s expectations.
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So the following questions are raised: “A trans? Why aren’t you taking hormones?” Or “Transgender people are usually smart, why aren’t you?” These are asked based on the stereotypical images of transgender presented by the media. A transgender is also a person who can be poor, who can struggle, be uneducated, have no economic power, or be in a race or religion which oppresses their transgender identity like any other individual.
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This is why when it comes to understanding a transgender person, many aspects should come into consideration not just gender identity alone as a person does not have just one side but many. Even though being a transgender person in an area lacking people’s understanding of genders and medical services is a problem, it does not mean other problems, such as not being able to afford food or to have a good education, do not matter as much.
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For example, in the case of transgender youth, that’s a matter of intersectionality of its own as it’s normal for them to not be able to provide financially since they are still under their parents’ care and watch. Being a transgender person in a country that does not give enough importance for transition to be welfare, the cost is high. Thus, being a transgender youth is likely to be followed with several problems, mental health ones, from the situation said.
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So it would be better if we all can listen to each other
and have sympathy for each other more.