Human Rights at Home and Abroad: Past, Present, and Future

In trans support groups it is not uncommon for the topic of sex to be completely ignored.
Because of the communities‘ general fear of stigmatization, trans groups will often distance themselves
from other sexual or gender deviants that are considered by society to be perverted (Schrock et al. 2004).
However, by denying affiliation with these so-called ‗perverts,‘ the trans community is hindering its
ability to create a larger social movement by excluding transsexual prostitutes and sexual minorities
(Schrock et al. 2004). This also leaves trans identified sexual minorities vulnerable to criticism, even
within groups of like-minded peers. These exclusionary tactics are used in an attempt to obtain validity
from society as a whole. In Schrock et al.‘s research, the authors quote Leslie Feinberg, famous trans
activist:
A timid denial that ‗we‘re not all like that‘ only serves to weaken the entire fightback movement.
We can never throw enough people overboard to win approval from our enemies. Should we try
to argue that we‘re as ‗normal‘ as those who organize against our civil rights? Forget it! I am
queer and proud of it (Schrock et al. 2004).
By minimizing the exclusionary tactics of some transgender support groups, trans members may feel
more supported by their community and thus, more likely to involve themselves in political action (Roen
2002).
Framing Passing as the Problem
The system that our society has accepted; that of a gender binary, demands that individuals who
are not comfortable in their prescribed gender, ―present themselves in ways that convince others
that they are, in fact, members of the sex category suggested by their gender‖ (Gagne et al. 1997). Thus,
there is a strong orientation towards passing.
―Given the limited range of identities available to them, it is interesting, but not surprising, that
the overwhelming majority of transgendered individuals adhere to traditional conceptualizations of sex
and gender‖ (Gagne et al. 1997). Gender, even within communities that question the concept, is still so
pervasive that a community based on gender deviance is still subject to gender policing by members of
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