You are on page 1of 3

TRANSGENERATION REFLECTION Submit on: 2/14/2012 Accepted only if submitted in class

View TransGeneration on YouTube (links are in Course Documents on Blackboard) or you can watch the DVD that is on reserve at Paley Media Library. The more you watch, the greater insight you will have, but watch at least 8 episodes. You may well want to watch the entire documentary! Based on your viewing of TransGeneration, identify and describe two different life challenges that are unique to someone who identifies as a transgender person. In your writing, explore the possible social, psychological or professional impacts that these challenges might have. For example, in the film Casey states that he will be challenged by having a diploma from an all-women's college. Why is this a challenge, and what might be some potential outcomes of this challenge? Write one page per challenge (12 pt. ft., Times New Roman, double space). Remember to include your name!!
Written assignments for this class are to be written in APA style. Please follow these guidelines: 1. Double space 2. 12 pt. Times New Roman font. 3. Headers 4. Page numbers 5. Cover Page with the Title, name and date
6. Print double-sided to save paper (when possible)

7. Reference

Please make sure to incorporate GLAAD.orgs style guide below into your writing (and thinking!) and be mindful to use proper terms and pronouns.
1

Thanks to Eli Green for providing the assignment questions and style guide. Check Eli Greens website for more information: www.eligreen.com

STYLE GUIDE: USING TRANS TERMS APPROPRIATELY


(FROM GLAAD.ORG)

TRANSGENDER TERMINOLOGY TO AVOID


PROBLEMATIC TERMINOLOGY PROBLEMATIC: "transgenders," "a transgender" PREFERRED: "transgender people," "a transgender person" Transgender should be used as an adjective, not as a noun. Do not say, "Tony is a transgender," or "The parade included many transgenders." Instead say, "Tony is a transgender person," or "The parade included many transgender people." PROBLEMATIC: "transgendered" PREFERRED: "transgender" The word transgender never needs the extraneous "ed" at the end of the word. In fact, such a construction is grammatically incorrect. Only verbs can be transformed into participles by adding "-ed" to the end of the word, and transgender is an adjective, not a verb. PROBLEMATIC: "sex change," "pre-operative," "post-operative" PREFERRED: "transition" Referring to a sex change operation, or using terms such as pre- or post-operative, inaccurately suggests that one must have surgery in order to truly change one's sex. PROBLEMATIC: "hermaphrodite" PREFERRED: "intersex person" The word "hermaphrodite" is an outdated, stigmatizing and misleading word, usually used to sensationalize intersex people. DEFAMATORY TERMINOLOGY Defamatory: "deceptive," "fooling," "pretending," "posing," or "masquerading" Gender identity is an integral part of a person's identity. Please do not characterize 2

transgender people as "deceptive," as "fooling" other people, or as "pretending" to be, "posing" or "masquerading" as a man or a woman. Such descriptions are extremely insulting. Defamatory: "she-male," "he-she," "it," "trannie," "tranny," "gender-bender" These words only serve to dehumanize transgender people and should not be used (See Defamatory Language).

NAMES & PRONOUN USAGE


We encourage you to use a transgender person's chosen name. Often transgender people cannot afford a legal name change or are not yet old enough to change their name legally. They should be afforded the same respect for their chosen name as anyone else who lives by a name other than their birth name (e.g., celebrities). We also encourage you to ask transgender people which pronoun they would like you to use. A person who identifies as a certain gender, whether or not they have taken hormones or had surgery, should be referred to using the pronouns appropriate for that gender. If it is not possible to ask the person which pronoun he or she prefers, use the pronoun that is consistent with the person's appearance and gender expression. For example, if the person wears a dress and uses the name "Susan," feminine pronouns are appropriate. It is never appropriate to put quotation marks around either the transgender person's chosen name or the pronoun that reflects their gender identity.

You might also like