For this lesson we had to watch five videos pertaining to the gay and transgender group. I wasn't too thrilled to be doing this lesson because I have such a strong belief system against this, but I need to push my beliefs to the side when it comes to teaching in the classroom. Even though I didn't enjoy this lesson as much as I should have, I thought it was important.
EDUC 2120 - Lesson 2 – Confronting and transcending difference in society
At Odds with Gender Change Video Questions:
People use all sorts of negative terms for transgender. What is the word that Tracey hates the most? Explain why you think that she would dislike this word the most.
When Tracey would talk about her classmates and other students at school, she mentioned that she hated what people would call her. The word she hates the most is “alien” or a “non-person”. I think the reason why Tracey hates these words the most is because being called an “alien” or a “non-person” makes her feel like she’s less of a person than all the other students at her school. Tracey only wants to be accepted as she is.
Who is correct? The Catholic school system or the parents and children in this video? Explain.
Personally, I believe the Catholic school system is correct. The parents are right about accepting their child for who she wants to be and how she wants others to see her, but it’s also the Catholic schools right to stick with what they believe in also, which is their religion and how they view things. I believe that God doesn’t make mistakes. When a child is born, they are either a male or a female. There is no such thing as “other” or “haven’t decided”. God made you the gender He wanted you to be. Just because I believe this, this doesn’t mean that if I came in contact with a transgender person I would treat them differently than the non-transgender person. I would treat both just as equally, but I won’t agree with the transgender person’s decisions.
Lady GaGa Questions:
Explain in your own words the meaning behind Lady GaGa’s “Born This Way” song.
Lady GaGa is trying to get across to her fans that God makes no mistakes, and that you should love yourself anyways, and always. She says you’re perfect the way you are. You may be straight, bi, transgender, gay or lesbian, but you were born that way. Whether you’re an outcast, bullied or teased, you were born that way. Don’t worry about anyone else. Just live life and love yourself.
At the end of the Lady GaGa video, she and her dancers raise their hands in the air. What does this mean?
In the song she mentions God, by saying “capital H-I-M”. People in church tend to raise their hands to the Heavens, reaching for God. This is a sign of surrender. I believe she and her dancers raised their hands because they were thanking God for making them perfect.
What do you think would have more of a NEGATIVE EFFECT on a child – having a transgender teacher or listening and viewing Lady GaGa’s songs and videos? Explain.
I honestly think Lady GaGa’s songs and videos have more of a negative effect on children. Lady GaGa is putting her beliefs in a song and telling the whole world about them, and if a child was to happen to listen to her songs, they could start to believe what she was telling them is right. A transgender teacher wouldn’t be filling children’s heads with their beliefs if they were doing their job correctly. A teacher is there to teach students about school, not what they should and shouldn’t be believing.
Transgender Questions to go with the Yosemite teacher video above:
What are your general thoughts concerning Gender change?
Like I said above, I don’t agree with someone who wants a gender change, or someone who is undergoing a gender change. I believe we were born the gender that we were made to be, by God. I know God and our families want us to be happy, but I believe that God wants us to be happy with what He has already given us, meaning our gender, also.
If you were friends with the Yosemite teacher before the gender change, would you STILL be friends? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Yes, I would still be friends with the Yosemite teacher. They’re still the same person as they were the gender before. No, I won’t agree with their decision, because it’s against what I believe, but I would still be their friend.
If you were a classroom teacher, how would you explain this issue (Transgender) to your students?
I honestly don’t know how to respond to this question. I’m not really sure of how I would be able to answer this question to my students. Because I don’t agree with the transition from a woman to a man, or a man to a woman, but I would try my best to explain this issue as un-biased as I could and as best as I could.
“No Dumb Questions” Video Questions:
What knowledge and understanding do you feel you have gained about people who are transgender? What questions do you still have?
People who are transgender just want to be accepted. They’ve went through hard times throughout their life trying to be someone they’re not, and now they just want to make themselves happy. Yes, I have tons of questions. I still don’t understand the whole process of someone who would want to undergo surgery to become a whole different person. So my first question is, why? Second, what happens to a man’s deep voice, and their Adam’s apple, when they change into a woman? I may have more questions, but these are the ones that popped in my head automatically.
These questions may sound dumb, but I honestly have no idea how, or why. This whole process is just confusing to me.
If you have not had this experience, how would you react if a family member (uncle/aunt, brother/sister, mother/father, or child) revealed that they were transgender?
If someone in my family were to switch genders, I would be shocked and upset about the situation. I think I would have to have some time to figure everything out for myself, but once I finally found the strength to face them, I would treat them the same as I did before. I’m sure every transgender person understands that what they’re doing may upset their family and they’ll need some alone time to figure out what happened, but afterwards, everything would be fine.
If someone revealed to me that they were transgender, but I had already known them before, I don’t think much would change. I think I would be shocked but would get over it quickly, just because I knew them as the gender that they changed into, not the gender that they were before. I would probably question them about everything, and I definitely wouldn’t agree, but would still love them.
However, I’m saying this all out of non-experience. I think I would react this way, but I’ve never been in this situation, so I honestly have no idea how I would respond to someone in my family who revealed that they were transgender, or wanted to change their gender.
The filmmaker, Melissa Regan, says that she hopes that No Dumb Questions will show that it is okay and even imperative for adults and children to engage in age-appropriate dialogue about sexual orientation and gender differences. Do you think the filmmaker accomplished her goal? Why or why not?
I think that she did accomplish her goal. The parents were very open about how their Uncle Bill was transforming into a woman and soon becoming their Aunt Barbara. They let their children ask any questions they had, so they could further explain it to them as best they could. I think this family was right on letting their children know from the start and not “sheltering” them from the entire situation as a whole. The children were still confused of why their Uncle Bill wanted the transformation, but it was best that the parents described the whole situation to them at such a young age. I also think that they would be more accepting of others who are going through the same issue. With Melissa Regan publishing this video, it shows other parents who are going through this situation also, that it is okay to explain to their young children what’s going on. All children may not react the same, but at least they’ll know what is happening around them.
Why do you think these subjects are talked about infrequently or seen as taboo?
These subjects aren’t talked about frequently because no one wants their child, best friend, sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. to turn into another gender. If you’ve known a person your whole life and they “change”, it would come as a shock. I think most of us say we wouldn’t care, or mind, that someone that is so close to us was transgender or wanted to change their gender, but I think all of us would. Some people it would bother more than others, but I think everyone would be bothered to an extent.
What are some of the behaviors or phrases in the film that you would like to try to use when talking to children about sexual orientation and gender identity?
Earlier I said I wouldn’t know how to even begin to explain this situation to younger children, but if I had to, I would be open about the whole issue. I would tell them what I knew, and tell them to ask any questions and I would answer them to the best of my ability. If my answers weren’t enough, I would get an administrator to help me with the questions that have still been unanswered. Like I said, I don’t agree with the situation, at all, but I would do my best.
“Why I Must Come Out” – Video Question
Why does Geena Rocero feel the need to “come out” in her talk? Explain.
I think Geena felt the need to “come out” in her talk because she was never able to be real with anyone before. She mentioned that her friends, nor her boss, knew her story and felt that it was time to “come out”. She wanted everyone to know her story, and wanted others that have heard her story to feel comfortable to “come out” as well. She wanted to inspire others that it’s okay to be yourself and be who you want to be, and who you felt like you were supposed to be.
Summary
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t very excited about this lesson, just because I don’t agree with the process. It was very hard for me to do this lesson just because I know someone who struggled with being bullied because he didn’t like sports and was called gay because of it. I discussed this lesson with my friend the other day because I struggled with how to answer some of these questions. One thing she told me, I had never thought about it before. She explained to me that everyone is born with a struggle that they are going to have to face throughout their lives. The struggles could be on opposite ends. For example, some may struggle with sexual stuff, alcoholism, and someone cold even struggle with liking the same gender. This being said, everyone is born with something that they are going to face in their lives, but it’s your decision to act on that struggle or not.
I don’t know if this makes sense to anyone else, but it made perfect sense to me and I’m so glad she explained it to me. It opened my eyes because everyone does struggle with things. Some may be to the extreme, and others not, but just because we struggle with things, and thoughts go through our heads, doesn’t mean we have to act on that thought or that struggle.
Research Question
What makes a person want to change genders?
Reference(s):
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001527.htm
https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/gender-identity-disorder
Research Analysis
Gender dysphoria, aka gender identity disorder (GID), is a condition when a person's physical gender doesn't match up with the gender he/she identifies themselves with. A person who suffers with this condition, doesn't feel comfortable with the gender they were born with.
For a person to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria, their identity conflict had to be continuous over time, usually for at least two years. Gender conflict in each person is different. When a person is dealing with GID, it may affect thier choice of sexual partners, their behavior, how they dress, and their self-concept. The cause of gender dysphoria is still unknown.
Researchers say that if a child or adult is treated or diagnosed with this disorder early on in life, they are less likely to have problems with depression, emotional distress, and a lower risk of suicide.
Research Summary
I researched this question because I was curious as to why someone wanted to change their physical gender. I know from watching the videos, that a person that does have a gender change goes through a lot and only wants to be accepted, but I still don't understand. I guess it's hard for me understand the situation because I've never been through anything like it before. Researching this question, some what helped me with what they go through and everything, but I still don't understand why.