#suggestedsolutions

There a number of possible solutions that I have thought about for this problem since starting my research. Though they are somewhat limited and may not have much of an effect immediately or if people work alone, together and over time they should help to shift gears toward solving this problem. The first possible solution I have identified is to get the Supreme Court and national government to require all state governments to protect transgender persons from discrimination. The Supreme Court ruled that transgender persons are protected under title VII, a nation-wide law, yet many states still do not have any form of protection for trans persons. To do this it is important for the national government to know that a large portion of the population demands that these institutions be held responsible for upholding the national law.

Another solution I have identified may seem like an obvious one. In order to make sure trans people are granted the protection they deserve it is important to elect officials who will make sure they will be protected. Researching a candidate’s history of official matters involving transgender persons or other lgbtq person would be a good way to know whether or not they can be trusted with this issue. In order to change the policy and laws regarding the discrimination of transgender individuals, the people in official positions must also be changed.

      One recommendation I would put forth is the obvious which is expanding movements to result in the government banning conversion therapies in all fifty states. This is obviously something that is a work in progress and is more recent since the first state to ban it (in regards to minors) only did so three years ago. This is important because we now allow same sex marriages which shows the need for acceptance of people with different identities yet in those same states conversion therapy is allowed to continue with is doing the opposite work of promoting acceptance. The banning of conversion therapy in total may be a stretch because as mentioned above some people can willingly participate but expanding protection of minors who might not have a choice is an achievable goal.

           A second recommendation would be to expand conversion therapy as a topic in education.  Conversion therapy should be expanded outside of education received by medical students. Higher education systems have a chance to offer whichever courses they choose which means offering courses about conversion therapy but also treatments that harm people like this could be beneficial in increasing awareness about the topic. It could not only be included in LGBTQIA studies but other departments like psychology and history to reach more students and have a broader impact.

Pictured above is one of many fake magazine covers that were created by Julio Salgado to give Vanity Fair cover visibility to trans people of color doing amazing work for their community. Click here to read more about the project and to see more covers.

 9th post—Your recommendations

·      Firstly, knowing that you don’t know everything is an important mindset to take when looking at LGBTQ studies in general, so those trying to make change for art for LGBTQ people of color, specifically trans should take this perspective. People affected by this recommendation would be anyone interested in LGBTQ studies. A questioning mindset would make for open-minded people.

·      More research on trans people of color needs to be done and published. Trans people of color would be affected by this recommendation in increasing their visibility and legitimacy as an identity. More research on trans people of color and their art addresses the issue of there not being enough scholarly information on this identity and topic in the way that research could create more scholarly knowledge and articles being published on the topic.

·      Artistic taste needs to change—artistic taste in general needs to be increased, especially in public education. People who would be affected by this recommendation would be students, teachers, people in western society by a push for a more serious outlook and deeper need for art in education.  Students, teachers, and people in general would see art as a necessity. Artistic taste changing addresses the issue of underrepresentation of trans people of color and their art by changing mindsets so that more art education on all types of identities would be seen as necessary.

SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

      One of my main suggestions for a solution would be consciousness raising. The reality of the situation is that this problem is pervasive because of the way in which the general public understands gender and biological sex. Something that would work to combat the problem of society’s lack of encouragement for girls and women to understand and use their bodies would be to raise consciousness of the realities of the ramifications of these problems. This is specifically relevant because society’s current understanding of gender and sexuality is biologically based and thus does not leave room for understandings of variation in gender and physicality. If the general public instead understood each child and person as a human being first with multifaceted interests abilities and potential, each of those things could be cultivated and promoted instead of dismissed, ignored, or disillusioned on the basis of gender or biological sex. Consciousness raising can be done via publishing papers or blogs, books or releasing any type of media, and merely speaking about the subject in our daily lives. Speaking on the subject in our daily lives includes being aware and questioning the means of societal gendering that we encounter on a daily basis. This is relevant for people of all genders, for the enforcement of masculinity as the pinnacle of success, aids in the enforcement of femininity as the opposite within the confides of a binary gender system.      

      Another means of eradicating or reducing this problem would be to implement comprehensive gender and sexuality classes in school. This is in a way a means of consciousness raising, with more comprehensive expectations. If we give people the tools and information to correctly study and understand their own bodies, gender, and sexuality we are cultivating autonomy and self understanding, instead of merely offering someone a box of expectations based on biological components dictating limitations on achievements. If we present options for identification outside of the gender binary, and understand gender and self expression in non-linear terms, we create opportunities for individuals to escape narrow societal enforced gender expectations. This understanding of gender and eradicating the binary would manifest itself in the deterioration of the prevalence of dichotomous gendered groupings, including bathrooms and sports teams.

      Upon spreading this awareness, action should be taken by actively encouraging girls to understand and reach for their fullest potential in every level of themselves, not only in beauty standards, thinness and sexual attraction prowess. Being aware that the capacities physically, mentally and emotionally that each person has potential to achieve are not dictated by biological sex or gender. Thus we should encourage children, and specifically girls from a young age to engage in multifaceted activities and counter the ideals of gender specific activities that aid in dictating social norms.

The solutions to this problem will take plenty of hard work and requires change but it is attainable and the results would be incredible.

We need to focus on young girls and boys and who they are growing up to be. For example, schools and parents can start by educating our youth to think in a completely new perspective about themselves and their peers. They need to be taught that physical appearance does not matter and does not determine who you are.

There needs to be more campaigns that advocate true beauty such as Dove and even Verizon Wireless. Dove has taken a big step and launched a new beauty campaign that uses “real” women. This could create a positive change in how young girls and women think of themselves. They will no longer compare themselves but come to self-realization that theres not just “one size” and “one shape” you have to attain.

To any young girl reading this:

Embrace your intelligence, you want to be the president of the United States one day? DO IT. You want to become a doctor? DO IT. You feel like traveling to space? DO IT.

You can do anything your heart desires as long as you put your mind to it.