The Mistreatment of Feminine Men is Worse Than the Mistreatment of Masculine Women
Zoey Dirkes
Sartell High School
English 151- Academic Writing
Mrs. Schmit
January 20, 2023
The Mistreatment of Feminine Men is Worse Than the Mistreatment of Masculine Women
According to www.pewresearch.org, about 5% of the US population is transgender or non-binary. This means that this group of people does not follow society’s traditional gender norms of presenting masculine or feminine. (Brown, 2022) Masculinity is defined as the qualities or attributes regarded as characteristics of men or boys whereas femininity is defined as the qualities or attributes regarded as characteristics of women or girls. In the 19th and 20th centuries, scholars noted
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The first thing feminine men are subject to is conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is defined as the practice of attempting to cause a non-heterosexual person to become heterosexual by using psychoanalysis, behavior modification, spiritual counseling, etc. Conversion therapy for feminine present men is damaging to them in many ways. According to Green, men who have been targeted with conversion efforts are twice as likely to commit suicide compared to women who go through similar practices (2020). For this reason, many doctors and medical professionals have deemed conversion therapy dangerous and abusive both physically and mentally. Men who are forced to go to a form of conversion therapy report “lifetime exposure” and “a lost sense of identity (Atkins & Vicars, 2016). Men are also forced to put forth a fake identity. By putting on a fake identity they can fit in better with society. Atkins and Vicars interviewed a transgender woman about her showing her masculine origins at work, they mention that “Pauline appropriated and enacted a particular form of masculinity. Outside the institution, however, she adopted a different, feminized persona who was located in discourses of care and compassion.” (Atkins & Vicars, 2016). If feminine men do not choose to put forth this fake identity, they are manipulated into showing …show more content…
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