A person is not always born into the "correct" body. Some people feel that they are men trapped in women’s' bodies and vice versa. People either undergo surgery for sex changes, or are classified as transgender. Transgender means that someone sees himself or she as the opposite sex and dresses and portrays herself as such even if they have opposite genitalia. Over the years people have become more accepting of transgender people and have learned to not be judgmental of these individuals’ beliefs. However, there is still discrimination against the transgender community even if it is not an outright attack.
ABC news reports about a man who was transgender and classifies himself as a woman. Paul Joseph Prinzivalli Jr, now a woman, has not undergone a sex change however, and still has male genitalia. Because of this reason, she cannot change her birth certificate to woman even though her social security and license classify her as a woman. The New York City Health Department says that she must have reassignment surgery on her genitals to be considered a woman in her birth certificate. The article quotes the chief of the New York City Health Department saying, "The health department must be satisfied that an applicant has completely and permanently transitioned to the acquired gender prior to the issuance of a new birth certificate." So, in order for a person like Prinzivalli to be considered a woman, something she already considers herself, she must have reassignment surgery.
Yet Prinzivalli not only has health conditions, which would make the surgery dangerous, but like many other transgender people she cannot afford to pay for the surgery. Tens of thousands of other transgender people, or as the article says “80 percent of women and 95 percent of men” cannot afford to get the surgery. Wealth is becoming a serious factor in establishing a transgender person’s sexuality. However, this factor of wealth is connected to the issue with identifications Prinzivalli faces.
New York is faced with a complex issue. Transgender people are denied some aspect of their identity because they lack complete identification that distinguishes them as only one sex; but at the same time should a person with male genitalia be considered a female?
The transgender community is faced with a dis-service and type of discrimination with this issue of identification. In Prinzivalli's case, not only is she not considered to be completely female, but she also is faced with difficulties of mis-matching identifications. Noah Lewis is quoted describing one issue, he says, "When transgender people are forced to present an ID that does not match, they are laughed at and turned away at the DMV or applying for a job". This problem with matching identifications also feeds the poverty that many transgender people find themselves in. Because many do not have matching identifications it is much harder for them to find work and they are “less employable”. The decision to have reassignment surgery is a lifetime commitment that needs serious contemplation and may not be the best choice for everyone. Changing one’s sex requires years of hormonal medicines and therapy to even be ready for the surgery; it is not an easy decision. By requiring surgery in order to change your birth certificate, the state is making more obstacles for transgender people, that eventually leads to unequal rights. Just because a person does not feel they truly are the sex they were born into, it does not mean they should not receive valid identification like the rest of society. Sam Berkely touches on this discrimination and inequality when he says, “To have a document that says I am female and I am not completely legitimized by the city where I pay taxes, doesn't make any sense. It sets me up to be a second class citizen and for discrimination." The state is basically placing transgender people in a lower class they cannot rise out of.
However, the state does face a difficult, complex issue when it comes to transgender identification. Everyone deserves equal rights and a fair chance at opportunities, so could mixing the sexes possibly be unfair? What if a college student has male genitalia but classifies himself as a woman; should he be allowed to play on a women’s sports team? If he is not on any hormonal medicine, wouldn’t that give him an unfair advantage over the other girls. However if this is the case, transgender people should not be prohibited from activities like sports because they are different from others. So what should people do about this?
I have not found an answer or possible solution to this problem. Society cannot change over night and I believe it will take serious innovative thinkers to fix this gender issue. I think that once people stop focusing so much on what is perceived to be a “normal” male or female, they will start to accept transgender people more. Everyone is different, sexual expression should not inhibit a person from leading the kind of life they want to. This article really opened my eyes up to transgender discrimination on a higher, federal level.
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