Six transgender trends for 2019
“The transgender community has made great progress from where it was just a short time ago, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement in acceptance, awareness and equality,” said Dr. Sherman Leis, a pioneer in the field of transgender surgery.
Leis, who founded the Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, expects 2019 to bring significant progress in the advancement of the trans community, foreseeing these trends.
Support for Transgender Youth: The emotional well-being of transgender and gender-expansive youth starts with the support they receive at home and in school. To that effect, a growing number of schools will implement more inclusive policies, such as new guidelines in New Jersey that require school districts to accept a student’s gender identity without requiring parental consent.
Better Representation in Politics: The visibility of transgender people in politics will become more widespread. The 2018 midterms were historic for the trans community, with Vermont becoming the first state with an openly transgender gubernatorial candidate backed by a major party and Colorado electing its first openly transgender lawmaker. The wave of trans candidates in this election cycle is likely to encourage others to run.
Better Representation in Pop Culture: Similarly, the number of transgender characters in TV shows, movies and theater are on the rise. Not only that, but transgender actors are filling these roles. Two thousand eighteen saw the introduction of TV’s first transgender superhero; firsts like this one will be increasingly common in 2019.
Increased Activism: The political climate will inspire transgender people who may have been more reserved in the past to become activists. “Won’t Be Erased” – which started as a hashtag on social media – will be the rallying cry for protestors demanding equal rights and protections for all. The freedom to use the bathroom of their preferred gender and to fight in the military are two unresolved issues transgender activists will seek to settle favorably.
Improved Sensitivity in Healthcare: Medical providers will be guided to become more accepting of transgender patients and sensitive to their needs. Discrimination is expected to decrease, as healthcare professionals update their skills and knowledge to be compliant with LGBTQ-inclusive policy recommendations, including being familiar with common terminology and the diversity of identities.
Workplace Inclusion: Offices will also make themselves more amenable to transgender employees. Those that don’t already may begin to offer gender-neutral or single occupancy bathrooms. It’s also becoming more common for workplaces to use inclusive language in their onboarding paperwork.
New Surgical Techniques: New techniques will be embraced by a growing number of transgender surgeons for their reduction of risk, including a new vaginoplasty method for male-to-female patients. In contrast to a popularly-used technique that goes through the abdomen and requires an additional surgical team, the updated vaginoplasty poses less risk and yields a more realistic-looking result.
Leis says, “I’m hopeful that men and women, boys and girls of all ages and identities will become more willing to express their authentic selves, as “transgender” becomes part of the American lexicon, and the stigma that surrounds transgenderism dissipates.”
For information, visit www.thetransgendercenter.com or visit them on social media: YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter @drshermanleis or FB/transdoctor.
Leis is a pioneer in transgender surgery, performing his first male to female surgery in 1976. Today, he is one of the world’s pre-eminent transgender surgeons and founder of the Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, recognized as one of the leading facilities in the world specializing in gender reassignment surgery.
Copyright the Gayly – February 20, 2019 @ 7 a.m. CST.