Running head: Transgender Rights and Regulation
Transgender Rights and Regulation
Tyler B. Moore
Utah Valley University
Transgender Rights and Regulations Moore 1
Executive Summary
Transgenders are individuals that do not identify with their biological sex. They have
had a rough journey through history being diagnosed as mentally ill and placed in psychiatric
hospitals and homes. Currently, they make up 3% of the United States population which is
actually about 9,318,597 individuals. By reading articles from many different news sources and
accumulating information about the transgender issues in the media, I have determined that they
stand in an unfair situation in the community. Many people assume that the lifestyle of a
transgender is a choice made by an individual but there are actually many more factors to
consider. Scholarly journals about transgender history led me to information about Magnus
Hirschfeld, who was a pioneer in the field of sexology and was able to raise awareness of the
transgender community. By the constant efforts of those who advocated transgenders, there
have been some successful attempts to provide equal rights to transgenders in many states,
including California, Delaware, and Colorado. Unfortunately, there have also been many
unsuccessful attempts to secure rights for the transgender community. Statistics from The
Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey show that transgenders suffer discrimination and
abuse on a regular basis leading many to attempts of suicide. Nearly a quarter of the transgender
population have been sexually assaulted which leads many to believe that transgenders only live
the way they do to cope with the psychological damage but there is biological evidence that
supports the idea that many transgenders have specific hormone deficiencies that lead to a
variety of gender identities. Psychologists also suggest that when a transgender person is forced
or pressured to live by their biological sex, they often suffer from gender dysphoria which is
characterized by anxiety and depression. To protect the transgender community it is important
that we inform ourselves and others about the many different gender identities and how to treat
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them. Transgenders deserve to enjoy all the same right and protections that all citizens are
granted by the Constitution of the United States.
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In the early 1860’s Albert Cashier enlisted as a Private in the 95th Illinois Infantry. As an
immigrant from Ireland, Cashier’s appearance was not unlike the rest of the Irish immigrants. He
was a soldier that sought his privacy but fought valiantly as an infantryman in forty battles
throughout the Civil War. In May of 1863 Private Cashier was captured by the Confederates and
escaped by wrestling a gun from a soldier and barely made it away in a chase on foot to the
Union line. He served a full enlistment and when the war was over, many of his comrades
remembered him as “a brave fighter, admired for heroic actions and undertaking dangerous
assignments, yet never receiving a scratch.”(NPS) Private Albert Cashier was famous for his
actions and provided great service to the United States. One detail that may surprise you is that
Albert Cashier’s real name was Jennie Hodgers and he was actually a woman. At a young age,
Hodgers’ step-father needed money so he dressed her up like a boy to get a job. It made an
impact on her that never left. Even after the Civil War, she continued to live her life as a man
until her secret got out. When the government found out, she was charged with “defrauding the
government in order to receive a pension.”(NPS) Many of the men she served with spoke out for
her to assure she did not lose her veteran status. Unfortunately, she was then sent to a mental
institution and forced to wear women’s clothing which led to her death. At 67, she tripped over
her dress, falling and breaking her hip. She spent the rest of her life bedridden in a mental
institution. A sad ending to a heroic figure.
Transgender people have been part of society for thousands of years. Some cultures have
accepted them and allowed them to play an important role in their community while a majority
of others have persecuted and punished them for their inability to conform to what was deemed
‘normal’. To this day, transgender people fight for their freedom and acceptance in the
community. In many ways, they have succeeded by changing the way that they are viewed by
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the world, including psychology and medicine. However, many people base their point of view
on personal beliefs of what is ‘natural’, ‘right’, or ‘normal’. Today, there are many who vocally
stand against transgender’s way of life. It is important that transgenders are provided with equal
rights and that these rights should be determined and regulated very carefully and strategically.
The topic of transgender rights and regulations is often misunderstood by the general population.
The issue is not just black and white. The facts and details are often skewed and twisted to prove
a point that supports one side or the other. Some of the concerns that arise are valid but for the
most part many concerns are solely based on snap judgements of transgenders and personal
beliefs.
There are many misconceptions about transgenders that create a bad image for them as a
whole. One of the most common misconceptions is that there are only two types of
