Transgenerational Oppression against Transgender People
My name is Jasiel Ramirez, and I’m from Caldwell, Idaho. I’m currently pursuing undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Ethnic studies with minors in Gender Studies, Latin American Studies, and Mexican-American Studies. Having experienced various adversities due to my marginalized identities, I have developed a passion to work with marginalized communities who face oppression at the hands of unjust systems of power. My ambition is to work with a nonprofit organization that provides intersectional, holistic resources for marginalized communities such as people of color, LGBTQ+ identities, limited-income folk and more. As a future community educator, sociologist, and lobbyist I will be a catalyst for change for my community and for marginalized communities alike. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my friends, dancing, binge-watching tv shows, and reading.
Transgenerational Oppression against Transgender People
INTRODUCTION
In every society that operates under a heteronormative, misogynistic patriarchy, transgender communities will always face oppression; they will experience poverty, violence, and criminalization as a result of the society centering cisgender, heterosexual people. Throughout Uruguay’s history, the ability of people to mobilize communities to represent, repair and organize itself to create legislative changes meant to uplift transgender people is a great accomplishment. Uruguay is commonly known as the Latin American country that is most “LGBT-friendly.” In 2016, Americas Quarterly named Uruguay as “a model for social inclusion in Latin America” as it has implemented numerous protection laws such as anti-discrimination, recognition of transgender and non-binary people, protection from invasive procedures/diagnoses and much more (Tummino & Bintrim, 1994). Because of these efforts, the country has become a symbol for LGBTQ+ progress in Latin America, and even across the world. However, despite this great legislative progress, Uruguay, like all countries, has not resolved the transphobia, poverty, unemployment, homelessness, and many more injustices that have been and still are affecting the trans community.
This paper seeks to answer the question “how has gender oppression impacted the transgender community over time in Uruguay?” As Uruguay continues to be a leading symbol for social progress in Latin America, Uruguay as a nation must be committed to representing all people. The country must work towards uplifting the voices of any and all historically marginalized groups. This study discerns factors within Uruguay that influence the discrimination of transgender people, essentially identifying if Uruguay thoroughly uplifts and or further marginalizes the transgender community.
LITERATURE REVIEW
In “Five Faces of Oppression”, Iris Young—North American political theorist and feminist—describes the distinctions between people who would describe injustices as “oppression” and people who would not. She states that most people would choose not to describe an injustice as “oppression,” however, for activists within social movements “oppression” is a main classification for political discourse (Young, 1990, pg. 37). By choosing to use this classification, activists utilize a framework that analyzes social constructs and practices on multiple levels rather than an individual scale of discrimination. This is to emphasize that oppression is not simply a result of a few people’s beliefs and decisions, but rather that oppression is “unquestioned norms, habits, and symbols underlying institutional rules and the collective consequences of following these rules” (Young, 1990, pg. 39).
Audre Lorde—a Black, lesbian, North American feminist, writer, poet, and civil rights activist—dedicated much of her work towards intersectional race, gender and sexuality liberation. Lorde believed that one oppression is inseparable from all other forms of oppression. In 1979, Audre Lorde delivered a speech at New York University titled “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” in which she analyzed and criticized second-wave feminism which was led by white, upper-middle-class leaders. She states: “As women, we have been taught to either ignore our differences or to view them as causes for separation and suspicion rather than as forces for change.” This idea that gender oppression is inseparable from oppressive systems such as racism, classism, sexism, transphobia, and many others created a foundation for social theories and activism to address all oppressions.
METHODOLOGY
This paper draws research from outside resources, professional academic writings, and an interview I conducted with a transgender Uruguayan woman. For the interview, I was fortunate enough to have been able to connect with Collette R. who has and still has a strong impact in the transgender community through her activism. The purpose of this interview is to collect further information, specifically about a more personal perspective on the oppression that transgender people experience in Uruguay. In this interview, I asked Collette R. to discuss four main aspects: personal experience, education, employment, and exclusion within social movements. Collete R. was very helpful in solidifying any information that was already collected through outside resources and professional academic writings.
During my research, I was able to find an extensive research report in Uruguay conducted by a coalition of three organizations: Colectivo Ovejas Negras, Center for International Human Rights of Northwestern University School of Law, and Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, Global Initiative for Sexuality and Human Rights. The report is called “Human Rights Violations Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) People in Uruguay: A Shadow Report.” The purpose of this report was to highlight the positive developments Uruguay has made in their legislation to “promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) rights,” and to shed light on the human rights violations that the LGBTI population still experiences. The main three aspects of human rights violations it focuses on are:
(1) violations of the rights to life and to freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; (2) violations of the right to non- discrimination and equality; and (3) violations of the State Party’s positive obligation to ensure Covenant rights. (pg. 3)
This shadow report provided me with great detail on Uruguay’s (failed) efforts to achieve liberation for the “LGBTI” community as well as the continued gender oppression this community experiences in education, employment, and healthcare.
In adherence to both Iris Young and Audre Lorde’s work, I will be using a lens of intersectionality within a framework of gender oppression to conceptualize each level of oppression that transgender people experience in education, employment, and healthcare. Not even from the time someone is born, but from the mere idea of even being conceived, individuals are saturated in gender. It is ever-present in media, family structure, religion, culture, politics, and any other aspect of a community. Gender is so deeply embedded within beliefs, actions, conversations, etc that it seemingly appears to be innate.
In order to deconstruct and analyze the impacts of gender oppression against transgender people, it is imperative to understand specific terms within gender identity and oppressive systems. A common misconception people have is that the term “sex” has the same meaning as “gender” and they use it interchangeably. However, “sex” and “gender” have two distinct definitions. According to Queer Pack—an online platform/resource for queer stories and voices that don’t often have a platform—sex is defined as “biological and anatomical differences” which can be distinguished by using: hormones, chromosomes, enzymes, and internal/external sex organs (“Queer Terms”). Contrastingly, Queer Pack defines gender as the “understanding of self, based on how much you align with and/or don’t align with what you understand to be the options for gender.” Someone who is transgender is an individual whose gender identity does not conform with the sex identity they were assigned at birth. Non-binary/Gender non-conforming individuals are people who do not conform to any gender.
Traditionally, in society, sex and gender are often seen as equivalent to each other and are used within a male and female binary—excluding intersex and any non-binary gender identity that is not male or female. Typically, a newborn’s sex is assigned as either male or female (although some United States and countries do offer a third option) based on the baby’s anatomy. Once the sex is assigned, people presume the baby’s gender to be the same as their sex and so from then on the baby will be conditioned by social ideas about gender roles/expectations which will inevitably affect every aspect of their lives, from relations to education, finances, their career and more.
GENDER OPPRESSION
In order to understand the full extent of gender oppression, we must conceptualize the meaning of “oppression” (in regards to Iris Young’s work) as a multifaceted social construct that is inextricable from the material, political, and cultural history of violence against trans and non-binary people from cisgender, heterosexual people. Oppression is perpetuated in multiple facets of a society; on an individual, interpersonal, institutional, and systemic level. It is the synergy of these levels that produce transphobic results—both intentionally and unintentionally—that continues to uphold a universal narrative of heteronormative, misogynistic patriarchy. This narrative constructs several standards of heteronormativity, which can be most notably seen within expected gender roles and gender expression; misogyny, ingrained hatred against women; and patriarchy, a societal system in which men hold primary power. In other words, it upholds a universal narrative of gender binaries (man and woman), gender roles/expression (masculine and feminine), and power (men > woman). This saturates various aspects of societies such as their culture, religion, politics, history, education, economics, and social structure that creates an endless cycle.
Harriet Martineau—a British social theorist—has analyzed the oppression of marginalized groups since the 1800s. Martineau’s work was closely bonded to the social, economic, and political developments in regard to marginalized groups in the nineteenth century. Her focus centered on groups pertaining to race, religion, class, and gender. In her work Society in America (1837), Martineau detailed that marginalized groups did not have a voice, identity, or place in the dominant group’s society. Martineau categorizes social interactions, including oppressive interactions, by the institutions in which they occur; Institutions of power such as the government, economy, slavery, and religion were comprehensively analyzed in relation to the inconsistencies between the actual conditions of the government and “its professed adherence to democracy” (Harriet Martineau 1802-1876, p. 45). In Society in America (1837), Martineau wrote,
As long as the republic is in a natural and healthy state, with no anomaly, no gross vices, the function of the law works easily and is understood and reverenced. Its punishments bear only upon individuals who have the opposition of society to contend with for violating its will, and who are helpless against the righteous visitations of the law. (pg. 132)
Martineau continues her claim saying that if an anomaly were to arise among institutions, it would ultimately disturb the “function of law.” Marginalized groups are essentially, according to Martineau, bound to the anomaly and conflicted with the interests of the majority. Anomalies of society, though human, did not have the same rights as the majority did. In regards to the transgender community, transgender people are the “anomaly” within society that violates the “will” of the majority and bear the opposition of society for going against social, cultural, political, and legal norms and or laws. Despite being human, transgender people do not fit the confines of male and female gender binaries (social norms/laws) and thus, suffer discrimination in every aspect of their life.
DISCRIMINATION IN EDUCATION
It is an unfortunate reality that most, if not all, LGBTQ+ students will experience some form of discrimination in education. Whether it be physical violence such as pushing, shoving, punches, etc or mental/emotional violence such as derogatory remarks, name-calling, isolating, etc—these are traumatic experiences that occur in every education system that ultimately restricts LGBTQ+ students from accessing a holistic education while in a safe environment.
In November 2010, the United Nation’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights found that discrimination of sexual orientation was “widespread” in Uruguay, including in the area of education. Colectivo Ovejas Negras—a social organization that defends sexual diversity and promotes the rights of “LGBTI” people—has received numerous complaints of incidents of discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in institutions of education. Some examples of this discrimination include name-calling, harmful posters being hung up, and more.
LGBTQ+ students do not only experience discrimination by other students, but by school officials as well. In a 2011 television program, Olga Rivera, who was (no current information can be found on her current status as director) the director of a public polytechnic school, shared how she was distressed about her son’s “gay condition” as she believed it is a disease. Olga Rivera also denounced any group that she thinks may lead young people to homosexuality. As the director of an educational institution, she insisted that authorities needed to monitor teachers in order to prevent any “transmission” of their homosexuality onto students.
In a 2013 interview, students shared that all LGBTQ+ phobias exist everywhere in schools. Fernando Alvarez—a school teacher/sex educator—said that transgender people do not experience social integration within school settings which inevitably causes them to leave and dropout. The school curriculum contributes to the absence of any social integration as they contain restrictive explanations of alternative gender and sexuality identities (Shadow Report, 2013, pg. 8-9).
DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT
Another aspect of life where transgender people experience discrimination is employment. According to the 2013 Shadow Report, the Directorate of Human Rights of the Uruguayan Ministry of Education and Culture acknowledged that transgender people face automatic rejection when applying for jobs nearly 100 percent of the time. Because of this, transgender people are led to resort to sex work. The impact this has on the transgender community is that no job means: no money, food, shelter, and stability. In an interview with activist Collette R., Collette says that nearly 90% of transgender women resort to sex work. Because transgender people do not fit gender binaries, employers are not willing to acknowledge their qualifications for jobs, which ultimately dehumanizes transgender people. The lack of social and cultural acceptance of transgender people, as well as the lack of access to education, is what leads transgender people to sex work as it is one of the few options they have to secure any type of financial income (Shadow Report, 2013, pg. 7).
DISCRIMINATION IN HEALTHCARE
The third aspect of life that the 2013 Shadow Report identifies discrimination against transgender people is in healthcare. The report states that the Colectivo Ovejas Negras reported only a few Uruguayan hospitals to be “LGBTI friendly.” Despite the Uruguayan Ministry of Health’s inclusion of a Sexual Diversity Chapter in its Guidelines on Sexual and Reproductive Health, healthcare institutions continue to refuse to believe and acknowledge transgender people’s experiences and the right to seek treatment. Healthcare institutions are also not set up to holistically support trans folk as they lack resources, funding, information, motivation, leadership, etc. Furthermore, there is no healthcare institution that provides a full range of medical treatments that transgender people may seek, such as hormone therapy, reassignment surgery, plastic surgery, and counseling. This means that transgender people must seek treatment at several different healthcare institutions in order to obtain these treatments (Shadow Report, 2013, pg. 7-8).
CONCLUSION
Harmful societal constructs, inducted by institutional powers, have proliferated the marginalization of transgender people. By utilizing a lens of intersectionality within a framework of gender oppression we can identify the ways in which transgender people of all marginalized races, classes, sexualities, and more are oppressed in every society that operates under a heteronormative, misogynistic patriarchy. Despite many legislative efforts in Uruguay, gender oppression is still largely widespread across the country within education, employment, and healthcare. The continuance of male and female binaries within media, family structure, religion, culture, politics, etc proliferates the standard of what is considered acceptable for gender identities. As transgender people do not conform to these standards, they are depicted as “anomalies” and experience discrimination in every aspect of their life. Gender oppression will not end by solely legislative efforts, there must be efforts to deconstruct the heteronormative, misogynistic patriarchy in society that is the foundation for marginalizing transgender people.
References
Colectivo Ovejas Negras, Center for International Human Rights of Northwestern University School of Law, and Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human
Rights, Global Initiative for Sexuality and Human Rights, Human Rights Violations Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) People in Uruguay: A Shadow Report. 2013. Martineau, Harriet. Society in America. Vol. 1, Saunders and Otley, 1837.
Tummino, Alana and Rebecca Bintrim. “Uruguay Is Latin America’s Social Inclusion Leader. Here’s Why.” Americas Quarterly. 2016. https://www.americasquarterly.org/content/uruguay-latin-americas-social-inclusion-leader-heres-why
“Queer Terms.” Queer Pack. https://queer-pack.com/queer-terms/
Young, Iris. “Five Faces of Oppression.” Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton University Press. 1990. https://wmbranchout.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/five-faces-of-oppression-iris-young.pdf