• Published Date: 29/11/2021
  • by: UNDP

6 ways to be Trans-allies

 

 

“Why is every single thing so sensitive when it comes to the issue related to transgender people?”
“Well, no one ever taught me transgender thing.”
“So how do you want me to act around transgender people?”

These are just some often-heard questions from the end of the conversation wrapping up the topic of “transgender”. In fact, a topic of transgender should be taught in fundamental education, not overlooked and excluded. Prejudice and nervousness against superficial knowledge on gender due to lack of papers and academic researches cause a lack of understandings in society today.
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#JustForgetGenders – this type of advice can be an identity erasure at the end as it is erasing problems on specific genders, leaving them unsolved. Straight women have their own problems which are not like those of straight men or other genders. Therefore, it is important to look into the problems of each identity and resolve them together.
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And our journey with “Transgender Youth” has come to the last episode. For the Transgender Awareness Week, GendersMatter together with UNDP Thailand would like to lastly give you advice on “6 ways to be trans-allies”:
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1. Understand and respect their pronouns, no deadnaming.
2. Respect their public space uses.
3. Stop discriminating against transgender people.
4. Support for LGBTQ+ rights and advocate for the community.
5. Do not ask them questions you do not dare to ask any cisgender people.
6. Open your mind.

If you would like to add more information or share any stories, comment down below!

 

1. Respect their pronouns, no deadnaming.
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Normally when parents name their child, the possibility that the child could be transgender is not considered. When their former name and pronoun suit their sex more than their identity, it can trigger these transgender people and remind them of their dark and miserable past.

Also, calling them by their new name and pronoun is to respect them and accept who they are. This supports their autonomy which means only they themselves can tell who they are and what their identity is without anyone forcing on them.

 

2. Respect their public space uses.
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#ToiletAndTransgender – another controversial issue where many are against the idea as there might be some ‘imposter’ trying to blend in as a transgender person to use the opposite sex’s toilet for harassment purposes. However, this way of thinking is filled with gender bias that one gender is more aggressive and more likely to harm another.
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Nevertheless, Thailand is quite familiar with transgender people, especially transwomen, so it is quite hard to say who is a genuine transgender, or an imposter. Needless to say, sexual harassment can happen to everyone regardless of their gender. To discriminate against transgender people not to use the public toilet according to their gender identity for the sake of other people is more likely to be a bias against them.

 

3. Stop discrimination against transgender people.
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#Discrimination – To discriminate against transgender people is to not give them the respect a fellow human being should receive. There is no reason to hate someone just because of their gender identity and even if you do not agree with how they choose to live their life, it is not the reason why you should hate them.

 

4. Support for LGBTQ+ rights and advocate for the community.
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Another way to be an ally is to help support transgender and other gender identities that are not presented much in the mainstream media to have better well-being. You can support for legalization of same-sex marriage, and other laws that encourage an individual’s gender identity, including pushing for gender transition to be one of the welfare as it is important and necessary.
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Because good friends will not ignore
For their friend to have a better life.

 

5. Do not ask transgender people questions you would never ask any cisgender people. Just because they are funny does not mean they are a clown.
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“So, have you…cut it?”
“Can I touch it?”
“Is it like a real thing?”

These are not what transgender people should accept. To meddle with a person’s body is an unmannered action that should not be done. So any questions you do not dare to ask anyone, including cisgender people, should not be asked to transgender people either.

 

6. Open your mind
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One thing almost every transgender faces, especially in a society where gender diversity is not understood, is being suffered from the feelings that they need to keep everything within—they are unable to talk to anyone. So, to be a friend with a transgender person is to listen more. Be more open-minded, and do not share your opinion if you cannot understand their situations.
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Because each individual has their own story, their experience differs.
If talking comes with a judgmental tone, then one should keep it with oneself rather than expressing.

  • Published Date:
  • by: UNDP

INTERSECTIONALITY AND TRANSGENDER YOUTH

“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.

  • Published Date:
  • by: UNDP

Medical Transitioning for transgender youth

 

“I ask my seniors and sometimes my friends for the suggestion, but it was all different.” ‘New’, a 14-year-old trans girl talks about her experience in ‘taking birth control pills to make her body more feminine. This method is popular among those who cannot afford hormones due to financial reasons.

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She kept on talking about her experience after taking the pills. “My head was spinning. But I was scared that if I stopped taking them for just a day, my body would look masculine again.” This scenario is not new. Even though birth control pills contain female hormones, they are not designed for transitioning uses. Then why do many transgender youth still take them?

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On Transgender Awareness Week, GendersMatter is working together with UNDP Thailand to clear up misunderstandings about transgender people. Today’s topic is “Medical Transitioning and Transgender Youth.”

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When we talk about ‘transgender youth’, some will ask if a youngster can be a transgender person. The answer is that transitioning, which is a biological transition leading to one’s sexual consciousness, might be innate. Thus, there should not be doubts about the existence of transgender youth, as it does not depend on cultural or social influences.

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Studies found that the sooner transgender youth could have a transition process; the better their mental health will be since they can suffer less from gender dysphoria. This leads to the next question of how and where they can go for a medical service, and whom they can consult.

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#TryConsultingTheDoctor – is the most obvious answer, but not many services are well prepared with knowledge and information on ‘transitioning’. However, ‘Gen V clinic’ at the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital is one of the most popular options that can offer well-covered transition services. (Contact at https://bit.ly/3nCM694)

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The Medical Center at the University of California in San Francisco says that medical transitioning involves five processes: hormone therapy, body hair removal, speech training or voice training, frozen eggs and sperm, and sexual reassignment surgery (SRS).

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In Thailand, there are only three processes that have been practiced: hormone therapy, body hair removal, and SRS. Considering the financial limitations of young transgender people, they cannot afford those services, which may cause them to struggle with ‘gender dysphoria’ that also requires financial support for treatment.

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Gender transitioning is necessary for transgender and there is no reason why it should not be included in the health welfare scheme. Many people still see transitioning as a process just for beauty, and transgender people should be responsible for it by themselves. Thus, not being able to afford the process is an obstacle for gender transition, especially for the youth who still do not have economic power.

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Because gender medical transition is necessary, that is why it should be a welfare.

  • Published Date: 23/11/2021
  • by: UNDP

Transgender People as an Athlete

I’ve loved soccer since I was in high school. Everyone must have seen me at the field, but one thing I didn’t like at all was how I had to watch for my skirt. I used to wear pants, but the teachers said it wasn’t ‘appropriate’ because ‘you are a girl, they said. I never said I was a girl, though.” Beam (alias), a 22-year-old transman currently working as a graphic designer in a company, talked about his experience in being a ‘transgender person’ who played sports. Even though Beam still has ‘Miss’ in front of his name, he never felt he was one and started calling himself a trans after middle school. “I always believe I am a man.” Beam said.
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Thus for the Transgender Awareness Week, GendersMatter together with UNDP Thailand would like to take you through obstacles on sports with “Transgender Youth and Sportsperson” to clear up misunderstandings about transgender people.
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#GenderAndSports – “Boys kick balls, girls jump ropes, gays play volleyball” is the image that comes up when talking about the ‘sports’ and ‘gender’ of the players. These values are all constructed by our society for a very long time when there should be no more than player’s preference and skills when it comes to sports.
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“I don’t agree dividing sports with gender. Soccer? Anyone can play soccer. It’s always a team of every gender in my neighborhood. In P.E. class at school, the girls seemed to have fun too, but after-class sessions always had some teacher scolding and kept watch of them, especially those who did high kicks while wearing skirts. I was one of those students but I couldn’t care less. Some were worried about it though, so much that they just stopped playing.” Beam added.
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Even though Beam believed that ‘Sports has nothing to do with gender’ and kept enjoying soccer up until graduation, Beam still told us the trauma that stopped him from following his dream in the sports career. School’s soccer competition did not let him participate just because of his ‘sex’ as a female player, and there was no female-player team. “My school was small, there was only a male team for soccer. All my soccer friends could participate except for me who had to do something else. Sometimes racing, cheering support, or team service.”
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#TransAthlete – From 2014 onwards, International Olympic Committee (IOC) allows transgenders to participate in the game according to their gender identity on the conditions that they have their identity declared for a minimum of four years, and that their hormones level fits the stated numbers. That’s how Laurel Hubbard was able to join the game in the last Olympics.
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Nevertheless, the transgender athlete is still a controversial issue widely discussed—especially transwomen as they say, “men are stronger than women”, which means even as a transwoman, she will have more advantages than a cis-woman. A transwoman athlete like Laurel did not win over a cis-woman in weightlifting, while Manuel Patricio, a transman boxer, could win over a cis-man in a boxing match.
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#SportIsMagic – Many studies agree that ‘sports’ help with children’s development in many aspects: physical, emotional, social, teamwork skill, and sportsmanship. Therefore, for kids to be able to have fun safely, and be able to grow should be the main concerns of child’s sports rather than limiting their ‘genders’ and keeping them out of some games just because that sport is not ‘suitable’ for their gender.
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#TransgenderPeople’sDreamAndSports – Beam still loves to play soccer as always with his teammates from school. The only thing that has changed is that he had a sex reassignment surgery 3 years ago, and soccer is now just a ‘hobby.’ “I stopped being paranoid about the competition. Nowadays I just play soccer for fun and to meet up with my friends. I still hope that one day, I can participate in a game—just an amateur match is fine. I don’t know if they will divide male and female, but now that I’m fully a man, I hope I can join.”
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Beam also adds that the news of transgender sports players in the Olympics gave him hope—the hope that he can also join. However, he has also seen some comments from his friends being ‘against’ it which he can’t get out of his mind. But Beam still believes that one day in the future, not just at the international level but also in schools, there will be changes for the games to be ‘fair’ and ‘equal’ so no one is left behind. For the children with the same dream as his to be able to enjoy sports, for them to be able to follow their dreams in the career.
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Because sports don’t have a gender.
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#Transgender_Awareness_Week

#Transgender

#GendersMatterxUNDP

#GendersMatter

  • Published Date: 19/11/2021
  • by: UNDP

Mental Health and Transgender Youth

 

“Now we just act like we don’t know each other. We don’t talk, we don’t look at each other. I’m just living my life day by day.” These are words said by Nick (alias), a 21-year-old transman on his relationship with his mother. Nick said his mom wasn’t pleased with his transition that she decided to cut the tie. “She doesn’t want a son. She wants her daughter back, and the way I’ve ‘changed’ is like a way I took her daughter away from her.”
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Unstable relationship in a family where children are transgender isn’t new, and it isn’t the only issue that affects young transgender people’s mental health. Social stigma, double standards, not being able to access health services for transgender people, these problems affect their mentality greatly. Furthermore, no clinic for trans healthcare is available, which worsens the matter.
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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 “Mental Health and Transgender Youth.”
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#MentalProblemsTransgenderYouthFaces – Many people have an image of a transgender as a funny character, so mental struggle seems unlikely. However, being funny and having mental issues are two different topics. Thai transgenders are still stuck in this stereotype which can explain why many families with transgender children do not know how to handle the situation and thus, the problems are suppressed.
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With the problems unsolved, quarrels are common in the family and some just choose to end the conversation to avoid any conflicts. Without understanding, more distance grows and many teenagers may not see their home as a safe zone, thus, the mental struggle comes along. According to studies, transgenders are more likely to struggle with mental illnesses 4 times more than other people.
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#TransHealthCareClinicIsNotPleasing – One of the interesting pieces of information from interviews with transgender people is that many Trans Health Care Clinics lack understandings of their patients. Many visitors have had unpleasant experiences like deadnaming or misgendering them.
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#WhatToDo – If transgender people ever find themselves in an unpleasant situation, try to excuse themselves from the scene, but it’s unable to do so right away, find someone reliable or trustworthy to vent or explain what has happened and find a solution together. If, at one point, you realize you do need to reach out for help, consult a mental health service closest and most accessible to you.
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Finally, even though health services and facilities offered to help transgender people’s mental health in Thailand is scarce, it shows room for improvement. While improving these services, don’t forget to create safe spaces for transgender people and other individuals for a society where everyone respects one another.
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Because everyone deserves a safe space.

  • Published Date: 16/11/2021
  • by: UNDP

What is ‘Social Transitioning’? And is ‘transitioning’ without hormones possible?

 

“I stopped taking hormones last year due to the covid-19, partly because I think that it will weaken my body and not work well with me”, said Toey (alias), a 25-year-old transgender woman who works in the domain of media and press one year after graduating from university. She continues narrating her worries of becoming “an alienated person” confidently, “When I stop taking hormones, alright…my skin is not so smooth and my facial hair becomes hard. But, at least, I got my life back and I am no longer weak.”

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This is not the first case in which transgender people refused to undergo hormone replacement therapy. This is certainly controversial since it has been argued that transgender people are not ‘transitioned’ if they have not undergone surgery yet. However, it can be confirmed that their transitions are not flawed. This is due to the fact that transitions do not have to be unnecessarily completed medically and physically, but they can be undergone by ‘social transitioning’.

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#SocialTransitioning – is considered as another type of transition which could be processed through social activities; for instance, to be introduced with a new proper pronoun and name, to utilize the gendered public space matching with the gender identity, and to have the society that could appropriately react to the person with trans experience. Consequently, the kind of transitioning is inextricably involved with societal participation, which leads to the reason why the knowledge towards transgender people should be more addressed.

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#HowImportantItIs – there is a theory that humans cannot live alone since they are considered social beings. Thus, social interaction to properly reflect transgender people’s identity is highly necessary. Moreover, a huge number of transgender people still could not access a medical transitioning, possibly due to various factors—economic reasons for instance. Medical transitioning should not then be a measurement for who is and is not a transgender person.

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#WhyDoesItMatterToTheKids(Too)? A study from a psychologist and a psychology professor from Princeton University, Kristina R. Olson, found that transgender kids who receive support for their social transition from their families (to treat them for their true gender) manifest fewer negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, and panic than those who are forced to live according to the norm of their sex assigned at birth. Transitioning clearly is not about just medical transitioning but rather including the environment and the people surrounded too.

 

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#LivingAsTransgenderPeople The foremost priority for transgender people is whether they are living in a safe environment because social transitioning inevitably includes an encounter with other people around. Therefore, it may be unsafe to be open about their actual self and identity in an unwelcoming environment when not ready.

However, if the environment is safe enough, transgender people can just be themselves. One of the things transgender allies can help support transgender people is to be their safe space by listening without judging and creating a safe environment altogether.

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Because empathy is the key to calling for rights

for all.

  • Published Date: 13/11/2021
  • by: UNDP

5 Myths debunked about transgender people

 

“I started taking contraceptive pills since grade 8. If I hadn’t, no one would accept me.” said a young transgender woman with a small voice. ‘Pin’ (Pseudonym) is a transgender youth studying in the Northeastern part of Thailand. As she vents what was on her mind, she said she does not want to conform to what society expects of her. “I skipped taking pills for 4 days and I am scared that my body will ‘turn back’ into a boy. I am afraid that I will feel bad about myself and people around me would react in a different way.”

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One of the biggest concerns that transgender people have is the misunderstanding that society has towards them. Today, GendersMatter and UNDP Thailand will debunk five myths about transgender people in order to stop repetition of such myths.

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(1) “Only people who have gone through sexual reaffirming surgery can be considered as a transgender person” – A transgender person is someone who identifies with a gender that is different from their sex assigned at birth. Regardless of whether they have gone through sexual reaffirming surgery (SRS) or not, it does not negate the fact that they are a transgender person. Therefore transgender people who do not wish to or cannot have SRS because of economic or financial reasons are no less of a transgender person than those who have had SRS.

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(2) “There is no transgender youth.” – Since being a transgender person is not defined by their surgical status, any youth who feels that they were born in the wrong body and are suffering from gender dysphoria are considered as a transgender person. There are numerous research showing that the sooner transgender kids can access gender affirming care, the better their mental health will be. Therefore, it is crucial to improve access to gender affirming care for transgender youth.

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(3) “There are only transgender woman and transgender man.” – The concept of gender identity is not binary. There are a number of transgender people who do not define themselves as a man or a woman, rather as a non-binary person who does not conform to the gender binary system. Therefore, the binary notion essentially excludes some transgender people.

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(4) “A transgender person must have hormone therapy” – Similar to surgical status, not every transgender person chooses to have hormone therapy. Many transgender people are actually satisfied with their body and prefer not to take hormones. In fact, transgender people can choose to transition socially without undergoing any physical transition.

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(5) “Transgender women need to express themselves in a feminine way while transgender men in a masculine way” – Similar to their cisgender peers, transgender people do not need to express themselves in a feminine or masculine way, as expected by society. Each of us should be able to express ourselves in any way we want. Gender norms imposed by society only cause discomfort and anxiety for anyone who do not conform. Wouldn’t we want a society that embraces people for who they are and not just for their masculinity or femininity?

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“Society forces us to conform with gender stereotypes that is easy to understand for them. If I don’t conform, I won’t be accepted.” said Pin before digging deeper about her decision to be her true self. “Transgender people do not need to take hormones. Anything that makes them happy is perfect for them. No need to mind other people’s business.” We nodded in agreement with Pin’s words. Transgender people will live a much happier life if they are not bound by gender norms and stereotypes of society.

 

After all, we are all human beings.

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