By Ashton Seghezzi & Lee Corey
Editor-in-Chief and Staff Writer
In conversations about transgender people, discussions about gender stereotypes are often lost. Many people often think of stereotypes related to gender as only being imposed on cisgender people, but they also have a significant effect on transgender individuals. Stereotypes can be when people say, “Boys should dress masculine,” “Girls should dress feminine,” or “Boys shouldn’t wear makeup and girls should.” The list goes on and on, even down to the smallest things, such as saying, “Boys should have short hair and girls should keep their hair long.” These stereotypes are what hurt the transgender community.
Freshman Starly Richards believes that gender stereotypes are harmful and explained, “They set a standard for what people are supposed to be like and it’s hard for people to be themselves.” This effect leads young transgender people to feel confused and invalidated as they try to figure out their gender identity. If there was more acceptance in our society it would make things easier for many people because very few people’s gender identities and expressions neatly fit the expectations set by stereotypes. Freshman Jace Sullivan said, “They are harmful, especially in high schools and to trans people, because they create all of these ideals and things you should do or have to look like to be a man, woman or nonbinary, and they oppress the freedom that we should have to do what we want.”
What is really harmful about stereotypes is the assumptions that result from them. People often don’t even realize that they’re unfairly assuming things about transgender or gender-nonconforming individuals. It is a stereotype that people who identify in a feminine way dress in a feminine way, and if they dress in a feminine way, then others sometimes assume things about their identity and pronouns. Sullivan said, “I think it’s important to avoid [gender stereotypes] because of the things they make us assume about people before we even get to know them.” It is much better to just ask people about themselves rather than assuming things about them. Sullivan said, “We create all of these ideas in our minds that can completely override the actual facts about someone.”
When a transgender person doesn’t conform to stereotypes, cisgender people often their identity or assume things about them that aren’t true. For example, if a transgender man dresses in a feminine way, cisgender people often invalidate that person’s identity because they struggle to understand someone who doesn’t align with gender stereotypes. They might say that person isn’t really transgender, or ask why they transitioned to a masculine identity at all if they’re just going to dress like a girl or in a feminine way. It’s extremely hurtful and invalidating for someone to hear things like this, and it leads transgender people to feeling like they have to dress, act or present themselves in a certain way for their identity to seem valid.
What is important to take away from conversations about stereotypes is a heightened awareness of what assumptions you might be making about other people. Most people aren’t aware of what assumptions they often make about other people. Most assumptions are usually formed relatively unconsciously, but becoming more aware of what assumptions you might be making can help make people around you feel more comfortable, validated and safe.
