TRANS-SENSITIVEEDUCATION

FOR STUDENTSBECOMING

FUTURE HELPERSPresenter: Kerry Arnold, LSW

Full Time Professor

Community College of Philadelphia

SCAVENGER HUNT

Sample Q’s used in the classroom:

1) Find someone who knows what the term “MTF” means

2) Find someone who knows what “T” stands for

3) Find someone who has a person in their life who has transitioned or is transitioning

• Sex your biological state at birth

• Gender your internal sense of yourself on the male to female continuum

• Orientation your attraction to sexual/romantic partners (may change over time)

• Identity how you define yourself in various ways including, but not limited to, gender

• Behavior what you actually do (may or may not match the above)

• Perceived as… how others view you (may be different than how you view yourself)

A Set of Related Continuums

TERMINOLOGY Transgender: a transgender person is

any individual who finds themselves left out of society’s usual gender roles. Transgender people may identify as gay, straight, bisexual, or anywhere in-between.

One particular type of transgender are individuals who feel that their assigned sex (physical gender) does not match their gender identity. Others feel that neither gender accurately describes their identity, and do not wish to be placed into either gender category.

.

TERMINOLOGY Gender Queer: those who identify their

gender outside the gender binary system of male and female, maybe fluid with gender presentation or not conform to gender norms. Some may do some or all of medical transition or none at all. Some may change their birth name. Other terms that gender non-conforming or those who have gender identities outside the binary gender system are boy dyke, dyke boy, boi, and by some youth in communities of color are femme queens, butch boi, or drags.

BEING TRANSGENDERED Female to Male transition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rqf006STDY

Male to Female transition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6L5EHIoLF8

PARTNER EXERCISE What judgments or stereotypes have

you had yourself OR that are expressed by those you know about people who are transgendered ?

What are they based on ?

LONG WAY TO GO … Most college textbooks in Human

Services or Social work only devote a ½ pg to “transgenderism” and ½ pg about social work with LGBT individuals. This is a statement about the downplaying of the importance of work with members of this community.

Important Resource: The Transgender Center

http://www.ntac.org/