Self Reflection – Transgender Inclusivity and Social Justice
What does the speaker’s experience mean to you?
When the notion of transgender comes to mind, people are often left asking themselves many questions concerning these persons. Doubtless, transgender persons are ordinary people just like everyone else globally, regardless of their race, ethnicity, and even faith. Over 1.4 million adults are transgender individuals in the US alone (Meerwijk & Sevelius, 2017). It implies that we have all, at one point, encountered transgender individuals without or without our knowledge. Transgender persons have a gender identity or expression that differs strongly from the assigned sex from birth. They are our families, friends, or even workmates that we associate with daily. With this in mind, there is no point in our continued judgment of these persons. From the speaker’s experience, I understand that so much trouble that they go through is often caused by societal judgment and stigma.
Besides, society’s ignorance of the likelihood of understanding and empathizing with the plight of transgender individuals put the safety of these minorities at risk. Failure to recognize that these persons exist within the context of our communities puts them at risk because they are constantly harassed or molested whenever they go to the public toilets, for instance. Without a doubt, many of them feel scared of the average gendered persons for fear of the physical, psychological, and stigma that comes with being a transgender individual. With this in mind, it suffices to say that society should recognize the challenges that transgender persons go through and be in a position that does not judge or discriminate against persons with these conditions, as we are all humans. Only by doing this will society be safe for transgender folks, who have for so long a time faced perennial discrimination in various capacities in society.
What 5 theories or course concepts help you to understand your experience?
The first theory that bolstered my comprehension of the experience is the Worldview model. According to Trevifio (1996), the worldview model emphasizes the aspect of control and the notion of responsibility. Therefore, this model helped me refer to responsibility in the speaker’s life, thereby having a deeper understanding of the speaker’s experience. Another theory is the attribution theory, which emphasizes the assumption that a layperson would arrive at specific answers (Weiner, 2010). The theory bolstered my comprehension of the speaker’s situation. Another model is the strange situation test, which is against the notion of imposing a test from one culture to another. As such, this model helps me understand the issues that transgender persons go through in American society. The fourth model is rational decision making, which postulates making decisions that have positive reverberations on a given individual (Shenoy & Yu, 2011). Lastly, the concept of guilt and shame helps my understanding of the speaker’s experience whereby they are constantly made to feel guilty for who they are, and not in their family, within the American society, for instance.
What have you learned from the experience?
From the speaker’s experience, I have gained insight into how society has been unjustly stigmatizing minority members of the same society. This same stigma makes the society members physically harm these transgender individuals, often degrading them in public places. By so doing, these persons are often in a situation that makes them feel guilty about themselves in a society whereby freedom for all should be a common notion for everyone, not just for the majority. In the video, the speaker voices a situation where society is less informed about transgender individuals’ circumstances, and thus, they are prone to making insensitive remarks.
How might you move forward from this point?
Doubtless, from now on, my point of interest would be to ensure that I make an effort to sensitize those around me to ensure that being members of a society that involves minority people are all treated fairly and with dignity like everyone else. Alive to the reality of the stigma that these persons go through, raising awareness to the public on their situation and accepting them would go a long way in ensuring that fairness and safety are availed to transgender individuals.
How might the experience affect your thinking and practice?
Without a doubt, the speaker’s experience has been a source of learning experience concerning their plights in a society that cares less about them. As such, I will be on the lookout to ensure that their fundamental rights and dignity are upheld in society and make them realize that since the society is still heavily of a stigmatic nature, there are persons such as me who are enlightened on matters pertaining to their situation and be ready to help out whenever I can.
How can you apply these new ideas in the future?
In the future, I will take the initiative to mobilize my friends within the institution and the locality to raise awareness of the plight of transgender persons. The unfair treatment and physical molestations have a negative impact on the health, confidence, and esteem of these persons. Also, I would ensure that with my friend’s help, we would sensitize the public on accommodating and respecting other persons as human beings on a frequent basis to ensure that many people are informed and curtail the likelihood of transgender persons being molested.
Identify three opportunities for future growth or engagement.
From the plights described in the video, I may take the initiative to become a mentor to transgender persons who have problems coming out and revealing their situation. I would seek to bolster their confidence for them to emerge and be assertive in society. Also, I may become an activist and champion for the rights of transgender people to ameliorate their situation within the confines of society. Lastly, I might also write journals, articles, or even books concerning the situation of transgender folks.
References
Meerwijk, E. L., & Sevelius, J. M. (2017). Transgender population size in the United States: a meta-regression of population-based probability samples. American journal of public health, 107(2), e1-e8.
Shenoy, P., & Yu, A. J. (2011). Rational decision-making in inhibitory control. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 5, 48.
Trevifio, J. G. (1996). Worldview and change in cross-cultural counseling. The Counseling Psychologist, 24(2), 198-215.
Weiner, B. (2010). Attribution theory. The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology, 1-2.
ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
We’ll write everything from scratch
Question 
Enlightened: For this assignment, you will be writing a reflection paper on one of the following TED talks. In the Self Reflection assignment, examine the effect of course material on your assumptions and knowledge about the role of culture or your everyday interactions with others from a different culture, religion, or socio-economic group. While the reflection is subjective, the paper should be an integration of your experience and the course readings.
Self Reflection – Transgender Inclusivity and Social Justice
Bird, J. (2017, June). Jackson Bird: How to talk (and listen) to transgender people [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/jackson_bird_how_to_talk_and_listen_to_transgender_people
Chang, J. & Dazols, L. (2015, May). Jennie Chang and Lisa Dazols: This is what LGBT life is like around the world [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/jenni_chang_and_lisa_dazols_this_is_what_lgbt_life_is_like_around_the_world
Dreger, A. (2010, December). Alice Dreger: Is anatomy destiny? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/alice_dreger_is_anatomy_destiny
Ntaiya, K. (2012, October). Kakenya Ntaiya: A girl who demanded school [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/kakenya_ntaiya_a_girl_who_demanded_school
Spack, N. (2013, November). Norman Spack: How I help transgender teens become who they want to be [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/norman_spack_how_i_help_transgender_teens_become_who_they_want_to_be
Wright, I. (2012, November). iO Tillet Wright: Fifty Shades of gay [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/io_tillett_wright_fifty_shades_of_gay
Enlightened: After referring to the TED talk, respond to the following questions.
What does the speaker’s experience mean to you?
What 5 theories or course concepts help you to understand your experience?
What you have learned from the experience?
How might you move forward from this point?
How might the experience affect your thinking and practice?
How can you apply these new ideas in the future?
Identify 3 opportunities for future growth or engagement.
The reflection paper should be formatted in APA style and include scholarly references.