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Introduction
Transgender is not a new concept and people have discussed the issues associated with it since the 19th century. First, it is necessary to provide a definition of the term. Stryker (2009, p. 1) notes that transgender is the movement across a socially imposed boundary away from an unchosen starting place . In other words, transgender is a persons desire and decision to be a representative of another gender. Interestingly, researchers agree that gender does not have a biological basis as people can or cannot feel comfortable within their biological gender.
The History of Transgender
As has been mentioned above, the concept of transgender has quite a long history. The term androgyny appeared in the middle of the 16th century. However, attention to transgender issues was drawn in the second part of the 19th century. Thus, in 1870, the behavior of Fred (Fanny) Park and Ernest (Stella) Boulton was discussed during a trial (Whittle, 2010). The two people were prosecuted for their transvestite behavior. Importantly, they were not accused of sodomy but they were accused of an attempt to commit some sort of felony disguised as women (Whittle, 2010). The public came to the conclusion that these people should be treated and a new discipline (sexology) appeared.
The Development of Transgender
This was a start of clinical research and study of the issue. In the 1930s, Dr. Felix Abraham performed the first operation on the sex change. One of the operations was not successful and the patient died two year after it because of complications (Whittle, 2010). In the 1940s, Sir Harold Gilles performed a successful sex change operation and the patient Michael Dillon even worked as a ship doctor. The case of Christine Jorgensen was a real celebrity and she draw attention of people to the issue.
Thus, in the 1950s, many people started addressing doctors concerning sex change operations. People understood that those were not exceptional cases and a wide discussion started. Numerous psychiatrists and therapists were trained to help transgender people. Sex change operations became quite common but people were still hostile to transgender individuals.
The 1960s and 1970 were the time of the feminist movement. Feminists advocated the right of women (and men) to choose the gender as they stressed that people had the right to be a part of the group, which is the most appropriate for them in their opinion (Stryker, 2009). People of art contributed greatly to development of the movement for the rights of transgender people. The fashion of the second part of the 20th century (especially, the 1970s) shows that androgyny became more common as women were wearing pants and men had quite long hair. At present, transgender is not a stigma for people.
However, the rights of these people are still violated as the rest of the society (in many or even in the majority of cases) is quite hostile to them. At the same time, the discussion is still in place and people are more accustomed to the concept.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is possible to state that transgender is a concept that was first addressed at the end of the 19th century. Transgender people were (or even have been) seen as ill individuals who needed medical aid. Now, transgender people have an opportunity to take their stand and fight for their right to live the lives they want. The discussion is not over and these people have achieved a lot. Although there is still certain discrimination and lack of understanding, transgender people are better integrated into the society.
Reference List
Stryker, S. (2009). Transgender history. Berkley, CA: Seal Press.
Whittle, S. (2010). A brief history of transgender issues. The Guardian. Web.
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