DIVERSITY PRESENTATION LEARNER’S NAME CAPELLA UNIVERSITY CULTURE, ETHNICITY, AND DIVERSITY DIVERSITY PRESENTATION MARCH, 2019 1 PRESENTATION OUTLINE Introduction to gender identity and the transgender community Key terms and definitions Importance of self-acceptance of the transgender identity Role of transgender support groups Challenges faced by the transgender community Health and well-being Solution s and strategies to reduce stigma, prejudice, and discrimination Hello, and welcome to today’s presentation on gender identity. This presentation attempts to showcase the concept of gender identity and the transgender community. The following slides will provide definitions and key terms related to gender identity, analyze the challenges faced by the transgender community, and identify solutions to combat these challenges. It is necessary to increase awareness about the struggles faced by transgender people to reduce the stigma attached to the community and facilitate inclusivity. 2 INTRODUCTION TO GENDER IDENTITY AND THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY (1) Gender is shaped by the cultural and social forces of society These forces place gender within the binary classification of male and female Social structures and institutions dictate gender roles and gender expression according to an individual’s birth-assigned sex Individuals who deviate from the gender role assigned at birth could be perceived as a threat to society (Capous-Desyllas & Barron, 2017) Gender, sex, and identity are intricately connected to the heteronormative ideology of society. According to Schilt and Westbrook (2009), heteronormative ideology is based on the binary conception of gender (male and female). This ideology presupposes birth assigned-sex to be the sole determinant of gender and naturalizes heterosexual relationships (as cited in Capous-Desyllas & Barron, 2017). 3 INTRODUCTION TO GENDER IDENTITY AND THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY(2) “Transgender” is the term used to refer to individuals whose personal experience of gender is incongruent with their birth-assigned sex (Hughto, Reisner, & Pachankis, 2015) Transgender people view their gender and sexual orientation in several ways, which can range across the binary spectrum as well outside it (Dentice & Dietert, 2015) Transgender people can choose to identify their gender in multiple ways such as transgender man, transgender woman, and genderqueer They may undergo transitions to align their gender expression with their gender identity. These transitions can be social or medical (Hughto, Reisner, & Pachankis, 2015) Schilt and Westbrook explain that transgender people are perceived as gender deviants or the “other” as they fail to comply with the societal expectations of gender-related behavior and expression (as cited in Hughto et al., 2015). Davidson (2007) has explained how these transitions can help them either conform to the traditional gender binary (such as transitioning from male to female) or choose to live ...

1. DIVERSITY PRESENTATION
LEARNER’S NAME
CAPELLA UNIVERSITY
CULTURE, ETHNICITY, AND DIVERSITY
DIVERSITY PRESENTATION
MARCH, 2019
1
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Introduction to gender identity and the transgender community
Key terms and definitions
Importance of self-acceptance of the transgender identity
Role of transgender support groups
Challenges faced by the transgender community
Health and well-being
Solution
s and strategies to reduce stigma, prejudice, and discrimination
Hello, and welcome to today’s presentation on gender identity.
This presentation attempts to showcase the concept of gender

2. identity and the transgender community. The following slides
will provide definitions and key terms related to gender
identity, analyze the challenges faced by the transgender
community, and identify solutions to combat these challenges.
It is necessary to increase awareness about the struggles faced
by transgender people to reduce the stigma attached to the
community and facilitate inclusivity.
2
INTRODUCTION TO GENDER IDENTITY AND THE
TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY (1)
Gender is shaped by the cultural and social forces of society
These forces place gender within the binary classification of
male and female
Social structures and institutions dictate gender roles and
gender expression according to an individual’s birth-assigned
sex
Individuals who deviate from the gender role assigned at birth
could be perceived as a threat to society (Capous-Desyllas &
Barron, 2017)
Gender, sex, and identity are intricately connected to the
heteronormative ideology of society. According to Schilt and

3. Westbrook (2009), heteronormative ideology is based on the
binary conception of gender (male and female). This ideology
presupposes birth assigned-sex to be the sole determinant of
gender and naturalizes heterosexual relationships (as cited in
Capous-Desyllas & Barron, 2017).
3
INTRODUCTION TO GENDER IDENTITY AND THE
TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY(2)
“Transgender” is the term used to refer to individuals whose
personal experience of gender is incongruent with their birth-
assigned sex (Hughto, Reisner, & Pachankis, 2015)
Transgender people view their gender and sexual orientation in
several ways, which can range across the binary spectrum as
well outside it (Dentice & Dietert, 2015)
Transgender people can choose to identify their gender in
multiple ways such as transgender man, transgender woman, and
genderqueer
They may undergo transitions to align their gender expression
with their gender identity. These transitions can be social
or medical (Hughto, Reisner, & Pachankis, 2015)
Schilt and Westbrook explain that transgender people are

4. perceived as gender deviants or the “other” as they fail to
comply with the societal expectations of gender-related
behavior and expression (as cited in Hughto et al., 2015).
Davidson (2007) has explained how these transitions can help
them either conform to the traditional gender binary (such as
transitioning from male to female) or choose to live outside the
binary (gender nonconforming people; as cited in Hughto et al.,
2015).
4
KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS (1)
Gender binary: It is the classification of gender into
male/female and woman/man (Dentice & Dietert, 2015)
Gender identity: A personal experience or perception of one’s
own gender, which may differ from one’s birth-assigned sex
Transgender: Individuals whose gender identity is incongruent
with their birth-assigned sex
Cisgender: Individuals whose gender identity aligns with their
birth-assigned sex, and who experience no gender incongruence
(Winter et al., 2016)
Here is a list of key terms and definitions related to the study of
gender diversity.

5. 5
KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS (2)
Gender expression: The expression of gender identity through
behavior, appearance, clothing, and interests
Gender stereotypes: Societal and cultural values that prescribe
the accepted behavior and qualities that men and women should
possess
Gender incongruence: Dissonance between an individual’s
personal experience of gender and his or her birth-assigned sex
(Winter et al., 2016)
Here is a list of key terms and definitions relating to the study
of gender diversity.
6
IMPORTANCE OF SELF-ACCEPTANCE OF THE
TRANSGENDER IDENTITY
Coming out as transgender will help an individual:
Achieve a true sense of self and identity (Dentice & Di etert,
2015)
Achieve a congruence of mind and body and thereby an
alignment of his or her gender expression with his or her gender
identity (Capous-Desyllas & Barron, 2017)

6. Improve his or her emotional health (Hughto et al., 2015)
Transgender people undertake transition procedures to align
their bodies to their gender identities. These procedures can be
social, such as changing their name, or medical, such as surgery
(Dentice & Dietert, 2015). In their review and research on
transgender stigma and health, Hughto, Reisner, and Pachankis
(2015) explain how transgenders conceal their stigmatized
identity to avoid discrimination and harassment. However, this
concealment leads to psychological distress. Being able to come
out as transgender helps in improving the individual’s mental
health.
7
ROLE OF TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROUPS
Transgender communities provide support in matters relating to
transitioning
Transgender people find self-acceptance through these
communities
Many transgender people also reach out to virtual support
groups on the Internet for help, support, and comfort (Dentice &
Dietert, 2015)
Transgender communities inspire feelings of solidarity
and unity to fight against oppressive systems (Hughto et al.,

7. 2015)
Transgender communities not only provide help to combat
discrimination and other challenges but also assist transgender
people in physical and mental transition. Many transgender
communities also offer support online. A mutual understanding
of challenges and discussing personal histories allow the groups
to form communal bonds (Dentice & Dietert, 2015).
8
CHALLENGES FACED BY THE TRANSGENDER
COMMUNITY (1)
Transgender people often face extreme violence for having a
gender identity incongruous to their birth-assigned sex (Divan,
Cortez, Smelyanskaya, & Keatley, 2016)
They are often viewed as being mentally disordered, unnatural,
morally corrupt, and sexually deviant (Winter et al., 2016)
Stigma surrounding transgenders operates at the structural,
interpersonal, and individual levels (Hughto et al., 2015)
Transgender people experience social hostility. A hostile social
environment could also make employment opportunities,
housing, and health care as well as economic and social

8. development inaccessible. Stigmatizing transgender individuals
as mentally unsound or morally corrupt also perpetuates the
violence against the community (Divan et al., 2016). This
further perpetuates the stigma surrounding transgender people
and has multiple repercussions such as increased discrimination
and inability to access health care relating to medical
transitioning. Further, transgender people are not trusted with
making choices regarding their own health care (Winter et al.,
2016).
Valentine (2007) describes how violence is perpetrated against
individuals who fail to adhere to the gender binary. Institutional
laws and policies are enacted by the structural forces that serve
to protect the power of the cisgender majority and reshape the
behavior of the transgender minority (as cited in Hughto et al.,
2015). Reisner et al. show how the non-discrimination bill
passed in Massachusetts in 2012 excluded public
accommodation protections of transgenders, thereby making it
legal to deny them access to public bathrooms (as cited in
Hughto et al., 2015). Interpersonal stigma is influenced by the
prevailing cultural values and gender stereotypes. According to
Goffman, individuals whose transgender status is apparent are
likely to face abuse and harassment (as cited in Hughto,
Reisner, & Pachankis, 2015). At the individual level, stigma
operates within the individual’s own feelings, attitudes,

9. perception, and behavior with respect to his or her identity and
often translates into internalized stigma (Hughto, Reisner, &
Pachankis, 2015).
9
CHALLENGES FACED BY THE TRANSGENDER
COMMUNITY (2)
Transgender people are often vulnerable to physical and sexual
assault as well as threats of violence from individuals,
institutions, and society
They encounter discrimination from health care providers, law -
enforcement agencies, and their employers and colleagues
(Winter et al., 2016)
Transgenders are often marginalized, and transitioning
individuals are considered second-class citizens (Dentice &
Dietert, 2015)
The severity of discrimination that transgenders face is also
dependent on factors such as gender, race, and class (Hughto,
Reisner, & Pachankis, 2015)
The harassment that transgenders face is often rationalized
using institutional laws and policies. These policies do not
recognize transgender as an identity, and, as a result,
transgender people are refused their basic human rights (Winter

10. et al., 2016). According to Ahmed and Jindasurat, transgender
women constituted 72% of HIV or anti-LGBT-related homicide,
and transgender women of color constituted 67% (as cited in
Hughto et al., 2015).
10
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING (1)
Transgender people encounter challenges that are risk factors to
their health and well-being:
Transgender people lack access to basic services such as
housing, education, employment, health care, and public
bathrooms (Winter et al., 2016)
Identity documents that display birth-assigned sex can make
transgender people vulnerable to discrimination (Winter et al.,
2016)
They face rejection from familial structures and educational
institutions (Winter et al., 2016)
Health care providers are inadequately trained to address their
medical needs (Hughto et al., 2015)
Fear and worry about safety due to social stigma can cause
distress (Capous-Desyllas & Barron, 2017)
What are the consequences of stigma? Transgenders are
mistreated in public and private spaces. The exclusion they face

11. from society leads to them engaging in risky behaviors that
affect their physical and mental health (Winter et al., 2016).
11
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING (2)
Transgender people experience chronic levels of stress, termed
“minority stress” (Hughto et al., 2015)
They experience discrimination and hostility from medical
service providers and often go to parallel providers like “silicon
pumpers,” (Winter et al., 2016) or unlicensed cosmeticians who
perform illegal surgical procedures
They may perform transition procedures (for instance, intake of
hormonal supplements) which are unmonitored or self-assessed
as well as engage in transition with the assistance of medically
unqualified people (Winter et al., 2016)
The gender minority stress theory postulates that a gender
deviant individual will face additional levels of stressors as part
of the stigma surrounding his or her gender identity, and this
will have a direct impact on his or her health and well-being.
Transgenders experience chronic levels of stress because of the
prejudice, stigma, and harassment they encounter because of
their identity (Hughto et al., 2015).
12

12. HEALTH AND WELL-BEING (3)
Transgender people are more likely to suffer from suicidal
ideation than the general population. One of the reasons behind
suicidal behavior is the difficulty in accessing mental health
care services (Winter et al., 2016)
They may also engage in substance abuse and unsafe sexual
practices, which also puts them at risk of acquiring sexually
transmitted diseases (Winter et al., 2016)
Transgenders conceal their identity, which can lead to
psychological distress (Hughto et al., 2015)
Transgenders lack access to trained health care and face
isolation and issues related to self-esteem. In addition,
transgenders tend to internalize their stigma or attempt to
conceal their identity to protect themselves from harassment
and violence (Hughto et al., 2015).
13
SOLUTIONS AND STRATEGIES TO REDUCE STIGMA,
PREJUDICE, AND DISCRIMINATION (1)
De-medicalize transgenderism (Winter et al., 2016)
Adequately train medical health and mental health professionals

13. (Winter et al., 2016)
Provide accessible mental health support to the transgender
community (Winter et al., 2016)
Educate the public regarding gender issues (Winter et al., 2016)
The heteronormative ideology dictates that individuals conform
to the gender binary and express their gender based on gender
roles. Gender deviants are, within this ideology, considered to
be inferior, and society discriminates against them for not
subscribing to the norms. A reconception of gender will help
change societal attitudes and perception regarding transgenders
(Capous-Desyllas & Barron, 2017).
Monro stresses the importance of challenging this ideology as
transgenders have been oppressed using the cultural practices
and institutional structures of society (as cited in Capous-
Desyllas & Barron, 2017). Brill and Pepper posit the importance
of unlearning the traditional ideas relating to gender. This
involves differentiating between that which is considered
normal and that which is considered conforming (as cited in
Capous-Desyllas & Barron, 2017).
The conception of transgenderism as a mental disorder has
contributed to the stigma as well as denied transgender people

14. appropriate medical care to support their transitions (Winter et
al., 2016). The American Psychiatric Association identifies
trans children and youth as having gender dysphoria, which
means “a marked incongruence between one’s
experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, of at least 6
months duration” (as cited in Capous-Desyllas & Barron, 2017,
p. 540).
Transgender people suffer discrimination in their access to
health care. Lurie explains how medical care practitioners lack
the required skills and medical education relating to transgender
health care (as cited in Hughto et al., 2015). Therefore,
transgender people go to unqualified individuals for their
transitions, which can pose a risk to their health (Winter et al.,
2016). Grant et al. show how discrimination in employment can
serve as a factor in restricting access to health care as
transgenders lack money and insurance coverage to undergo
gender-affirming procedures (as cited in Hughto et al., 2015).
At the individual level, transgenders internalize negative
attitudes regarding their gender identity (Hughto et al., 2015).
According to Hendricks and Testa (2012), the internalization of
stigma can have negative effects on an individual’s mental
health (as cited in Hughto et al., 2015). Hellman and Klein
(2004) and Ziguras et al. (2003) have stated that internalized

15. stigma can make transgender people less inclined toward
seeking mental health services (as cited in Hughto et al., 2015).
Perpetual exposure to discrimination and harassment places
them at further risk of developing mental health-related issues
and engaging in self-harm (Winter et al., 2016). Thus, it
becomes imperative to address their mental health concerns to
improve their health and well-being.
Further, education is a crucial avenue that can help raise
awareness on gender issues, combat discrimination, and reduce
stigma (Winter et al., 2016). Intervention strategies at the
structural level can be used to target the health care-related
needs of transgenders. For instance, medical schools should
include transgender health care as part of the curriculum
(Hughto et al., 2015).
14
SOLUTIONS AND STRATEGIES TO REDUCE STIGMA,
PREJUDICE, AND DISCRIMINATION (2)
Collective activism (Hughto et al., 2015)
Advocacy for structural changes (Capous-Desyllas & Barron,
2017)
Implementation of policies that address the concerns of
transgenders (Winter et al., 2016)
Adoption of policies that include restroom accommodations,

16. anti-bullying, and zero tolerance of discrimination (Capous-
Desyllas & Barron, 2017)
Ashmore, Deaux, and Mclaughlin-Volpe posit how collective
activism empowers and unites individuals to fight against the
stigma that surrounds gender issues (as cited in Hughto et al.,
2015).
Laws and policies have been used to restrict transgenders’
access to resources. These laws are governed by the
heteronormative ideology of society. Policies implemented by
the institutional structures of society should grant transgenders
their rights and allow them to live with dignity in compliance
with their gender identity (Winter et al., 2016).
Institutions can serve as advocates in effecting policies that will
reduce harassment, stigma, and discrimination. Schools can
ensure the safety of transgender children by introducing policies
that will reduce harassment and by educating their students on
gender diversity. Health care providers and social workers can
advocate for change with respect to transgender rights.
Moreover, family members of transgender children should be
educated on the conceptions of gender so that they can use this
knowledge to support their advocacy (Capous-Desyllas &

17. Barron, 2017).
15
SOLUTIONS AND STRATEGIES TO REDUCE STIGMA,
PREJUDICE, AND DISCRIMINATION (3)
Build communities and support systems
Implement intervention strategies at the structural,
interpersonal, and individual levels at which stigma operates
(Hughto et al., 2015)
In their critical review on transgender stigma and health,
Hughto, Reisner, and Pachankis (2015) cite research on stigma-
related intervention and discuss how community support
systems can effectively increase resilience and connect
transgenders with others from their community, which would
improve their mental health. Schrock, Holden, and Reid state
that community support can improve an individual’s emotional
state, validating his or her identity and helping him or her
develop feelings of solidarity (as cited in Hughto et al., 2015).
Apart from forming community support systems, it also
becomes crucial to implement intervention methods at the
various levels at which stigma operates. At the structural level,
interventions can be conducted by implementing non-

18. discriminatory policies, thereby facilitating an inclusion of
transgender people in the society. At the inter-personal level,
interventions can be in the form of forming support groups with
families or connecting with other transgenders to foster a
feeling of solidarity. At the individual level, counselling serves
as an intervention strategy in improving self-esteem and
reducing stigma (Hughto et al., 2015).
16
REFERENCES
Capous-Desyllas, M., & Barron, C. (2017). Identifying and
navigating social and institutional challenges of transgender
children and families. Child and Adolescent Social Work
Journal, 34(6) 527–542. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-017-
0491-7
Dentice, D., & Dietert, M. (2015). Liminal spaces and the
transgender experience. Theory in Action, 8(2), 69–96.
https://doi.org/10.3798/tia.1937-0237.15010
Divan, V., Cortez, C., Smelyanskaya, M., & Keatley, J. (2016).
Transgender social inclusion and equality: A pivotal path to
development. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 19(3
Suppl 2, 20803). https://doi.org/10.7448/IAS.19.3.20803
Hughto, J. M., Reisner, S. L., & Pachankis, J. E. (2015).
Transgender stigma and health: A critical review of stigma
determinants, mechanisms, and interventions. Social Science &

19. Medicine, 147, 222–231.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.010
Winter, S., Diamond, M., Green, J., Karasic, D., Reed, T.,
Whittle, S., & Wylie, K. (2016). Transgender people: Health at
the margins of society. The Lancet, 388(10042), 390–400.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(16)00683-8