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FIELDING INCLUSION | 2019
OUR EXISTENCE IS RESISTANCE Coping, resiliency, and community for trans and gender diverse people
Doctoral candidates Aiden Hirshfield, in Media Psychology, and T. Dawson Woodrum, in Clinical Psychology, teamed up to share insights gleaned from studying transgender issues.
G
ender is a complex social construct that is flexible, ambiguous, and incredibly unique. However, the rigidity of gender definitions historically offered by society has forced individuals into strict binary gender roles and expectations that persist in research and in real life. For the many individuals who identify as gender diverse, this perpetuates a state of isolation, ignorance, and often intolerance. The delineations and expectations following gender are being challenged by the resiliency of individuals who express themselves and identify outside of the traditional binary expectations. However, the diverse representations of gender that exist are influenced by the normative conceptions that persist in each context. For instance, in the transphobic and male-dominated culture of Myanmar, gender diverse individuals (achout) can mitigate their stigmatized status by becoming respected spirit mediums (nat kadaw), which are historically female roles. Gender diverse individuals in India (Hijra) have low social status, are often disowned by family, denied education, and are restricted to certain occupations such as ceremonial performers and beggars. In both examples, gender diversity is culturally constrained to traditionally female roles and elucidates the stigmatization of gender incongruence. Aiden Hirshfield walked in January’s graduation.
FIELDING GRADUATE UNIVERSITY | www.fielding.edu
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The polarization of gender diverse groups, such as the transgender community, into masculine or feminine labels forces gender diverse individuals to adapt to binary expectations, rather than celebrating their unique forms of expression. Here, we look at the issue from the two psychological perspectives we studied at Fielding: Clinical Psychology: Many people who identify as transgender or gender diverse (TGD) experience increased levels of violence and discrimination across multiple situations throughout their lifespan. Historically, research concerning TGD people has tended to medicalize and pathologize their expression of gender diversity, instead of examining the impact marginalization has on otherwise healthy individuals. Both demoralization and community connectedness seem particularly well-suited for examining well-being in a less pathologizing and a more holistic and empowering way; both constructs capture important dimensions of the lived experience of TGD-identified people. A sense of belonging to a community of peers may be particularly important for TGD-identified people because of their shared experience of alienation from mainstream society and lack of opportunity to experience their identities in a supportive environment as the norm. Similarly, a sense of feeling connected to a supportive community of peers, in particular, may provide a preventative buffer against minority stress, as well as affording more opportunities to enhance well-being by use of effective coping mechanisms, like seeking help. Findings in this area highlight the need for programs that emphasize the development of empowering and effective TGD community-based connections which instill hope, reduce isolation, and thereby provide a buffer against the negative effects of demoralization. Media Psychology: Gender diverse individuals can benefit from the perceived anonymity of the Internet by using it to explore and express gender in ways that may be taboo or dangerous in their real lives. Social networking sites facilitate promising opportunities for minority communities to communicate and flourish, as well as opportunities for study. The little research that exists on gender diverse media practices focuses on the transgender community specifically, but findings from the most recent U.S Transgender Survey revealed that nearly one-third of transgender individuals have in the past or currently identify as non-binary. Apparent is the need to better understand the relationship between these identities, while still recognizing their unique and fluid language. Computer-mediated communication permits the development of unique language and performances that reject the dichotomy of binary gender presumptions. To compensate for the lack of representation in mass forms of media, the gender diverse community uses emerging platforms like social media to explore and validate their identities. It is vitally important that research concerning trans and gender diverse individuals creates more opportunities for participants to identify and express themselves authentically, thereby establishing a model of diversity and inclusion. •
AIDEN HIRSHFIELD Dissertation: Using Instagram and Selfies to Explore Body Image in Gender Diverse Individuals “As a transman conducting research on the gender diverse community, I expected to feel a deep sense of empowerment and connectedness as I discovered more about our shared experience. What I did not anticipate was the raw sense of disillusionment I felt as I uncovered the blatant exploitation and misrepresentation of my community in media and research. This process has certainly strengthened my resiliency, but more importantly, it has ignited a furious devotion to advocating for (and often demanding) inclusion.”
T. DAWSON WOODRUM Dissertation: The Relationship Between Demoralization, Community Connectedness, and Well-Being Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals Dawson is one of the first inaugural recipients of The Dr. Sherry L. Hatcher Honorary Scholarship Fund “As a member of the gender diverse community, my research in Clinical Psychology has instilled a sense of hope beyond what I imagined was possible. We all have unique gender journey narratives. When we have the mentorship and means to share them, we create a path for others to follow that has been suppressed throughout most of modern history. Self-knowledge and expression in the face of such daunting odds can, and will, help us reclaim the wisdom of the wounded healer.”
