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Feminist Activist Laverne Cox

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The fight for gender equality has gone on for millennia despite the fact that the world is not an equal playing field. Even though feminism has made significant progress throughout the years, much work remains. For decades, the feminist movement has fought for the rights of women and other socially excluded groups. It has gone a long way, and now the movement includes a wide variety of voices that have made important contributions. One of the most well-known feminists is Laverne Cox. Cox, a transgender activist, producer, and actor, discusses problems affecting the transgender community. She has made a substantial contribution to feminist issues, notably those that promote the transgender population. This essay will explore Laverne Cox's significance …show more content…

“Trans women are women, and we have to affirm that in our culture and our laws (Cox, 2014).” This statement emphasizes the need to recognize and affirm trans women's gender identity in our society, including in our cultural and legal frameworks. It acknowledges that being a woman is not solely determined by biological sex, but also includes personal identification and experience. Affirming trans women as women is critical for their well-being, as it can reduce discrimination, violence, and marginalization they often face. It is also crucial for building a more inclusive and equitable society. This is where all individuals have the opportunity to thrive and be respected for who they are. However, despite increasing awareness and advocacy around transgender rights, trans women and the broader trans community still face significant barriers and challenges. It is imperative to continue working towards creating a more supportive and accepting society that affirms the full humanity and dignity of all people, regardless of their gender identity. Cox advocates for transgender inclusion in the feminist movement. She calls for an intersectional approach to feminism that recognizes women's diversity of experiences. Cox argues that feminism should be a movement that includes everyone committed to gender equality and equity, regardless of gender identity. In this way, Cox challenges the …show more content…

In an interview with The Guardian, Cox stated, "I'm a feminist. I've been a feminist for years. I'm very critical of mainstream feminism because it has been and continues to be very exclusive (Cox, 2015)." By publicly identifying as a feminist, Cox adds her voice to the LGBTQ movement and encourages transgender perspectives in feminist discourse. Cox’s intersectional feminist politics are evident in her gestural humour. Cox frequently uses the hashtag "#TransIsBeautiful'' in her social media posts to highlight and celebrate the "unique beauty of all transgender people (Rankin, 2015, para. 1). "She explains that trans people experience transphobias when navigating their everyday lives. #TransIsBeautiful reminds trans people to "embrace all of [the] things" that make trans people their unique selves. As of today, the hashtag is one of the most used "trans-related hashtags on social media (Bean, 2018, para.

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896 Words | 4 Pages

This is helpful to her audience who may not already know the exact definitions. Rogers further includes logos with the statement “by suggesting that gender doesn’t exist and that you are only the sex you were assigned at birth, your argument is that transgender people don’t exist.” (Rogers,par.16). Understanding that gender and sex are not the same, and that they are able to exist at the same time, will enlighten the audience to understand the deserved rights of transgender individuals. Pathos is further included in the article with Rogers expressing that it is important to “honor and respect the rights and dignity of all women, however they identify.”

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As mentioned before, many feel as though women still face discrimination in the workforce. However, it is no question that attitudes towards the feminist movement have become less critical overtime. In fact, 51% of men and 69% of women currently identify as feminists, according to the 2015 poll by YouGov. Many celebrities have pushed for women’s rights, which has contributed to its recent acceptance. Overall, there were several components to the rise of the women’s rights movement in the period 1940-1975.

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Even in my local community, I had the chance to participate in protests and events to show my support. I have attempted to actively work for these causes in the tradition of Ida B. Wells. In addition, I have focused my attention on the present issues in the Transgender community. To the best of my knowledge, I have attempted to educate myself about the injustices these individuals face, the laws that will affect their livelihoods, the statistics of homelessness in Trans communities, and other predominant issues that infiltrate their community. In the present day, Americans of many backgrounds face discrimination and injustices, and I feel that it is our job to educate ourselves on these problems and combat them in many ways, just like Ida B.

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769 Words | 4 Pages

The LGBTQ community is one that faces an ongoing storm of stereotyping and stigmas and the media is no relief from it. One major factor in this is the common trope of the violent and aggressive transgender woman, which is often shown through

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793 Words | 4 Pages

In their essay “Transforming Carceral Logics: 10 Reasons to Dismantle the Prison Industrial Complex Through Queer/Trans Analysis and Action,” Lambie mentions that transgender, queer, and gender-variant people are more likely to experience “widespread discrimination, harassment, and violence… [which] translates into higher risk of imprisonment” (240). In addition, they mention how queer and transgender people are criminalized because of their gender and sexuality, yet the state will turn around and claim how they will protect them from harm (239). While transgender people are in prison, they experience “human rights abuses, including assault, psychological abuse, rape, harassment, and medical neglect” (Lambie 243). In some instances, they suffer these abuses while within the general population; nonetheless, they are also abused when they are placed in solitary confinement.

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273 Words | 2 Pages

You saw headlines in Entertainment Weekly, Time Magazine, Essence, etc. When people think of transgenders, they really only think of guys who crossdress and get breast augmentations. They think of women who want to get a double mastectomy. Laverne Cox went against all odds to show people that wasn’t true.

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179 Words | 1 Pages

As what you have mentioned, violence is one of the important issues that was discussed in the The Transfeminist Manifesto because trans women are more vulnerable to violence. Emi Koyama listed some reasons why these individuals are more susceptible to violence compared to other group of women. For example, if the trans woman real gender at birth was discovered by the attacker, this often result to a more violent assault. Furthermore, the murders of trans women are not being taken seriously by the media or authorities. During her speech, Laverne Cox also mentioned that the homicide rate in the LGBTQ community is highest among trans women.

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This activist response advocated for the inclusion of trans women and challenged the festival's exclusionary stance. Established in 1994, Camp Trans has become a powerful symbol of resistance and a call for a more inclusive feminist ethos. Through interest-based negotiation strategies that addressed underlying needs and interests beyond fixed positions, it exemplified a broader struggle to delineate community boundaries and inclusion

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Hate violence is a predominant issue against transgender women who wish for acceptance from society. Individuals believe they have the right to perform violence against these transgender women because of their gender identity. For example, in the novel Stone Butch Blues, Jess Goldberg is physically a women but prefers to live life as a male. Since Jess chooses to live life as a male, or butch, she is frequently a target of policemen and other individuals because of her identity. The society views Jess as a criminal because during the 1960’s homosexuality was illegal and it was considered a mental disorder.

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The moment Shane Ortega walked into the spotlight at The Hub, I felt a sense of dignity and passion surrounding his character and demeanor. He opened up the presentation by addressing his valiant push for equal rights for trans people in the U.S. military. His very powerful quote of “continuing the fight for 700,000 veteran transgender lives” who were forced to choose between expressing their individuality or fighting for their country highlights his devotion in fighting for trans injustice. Throughout his trans journey, he exclaims that his parents were very open about gender, and didn’t conform to strict gender rules. He jokingly admits that he cut off the heads of Barbies as a way to protest such entrenched gender roles.

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277 Words | 2 Pages

Canadians take pride in their health care system; however, most Canadians are unaware of the disparities that exist for transgender persons within health care. Being ridiculed, denied care, or treated unjustly because of a self-identification as transgender goes against the core values of the nursing profession (Canadian Nurses Association, 2009); despite this, ten percent of transgender participants in the Ontario Trans PULSE survey reported that they had experienced these demonstrations of prejudice when accessing emergency room services. This statistic may be lower than the reality due to transgender persons frequently avoiding the health care system (Bauer & Scheim, 2015). According to the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Code of Ethics (2009) nursing staff are expected to provide, “safe, compassionate, competent, and ethical care” (p. 3); however, due to lack of policies and lack of education nursing staff and physicians are detrimentally adding to the stressors of transgender life.

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696 Words | 3 Pages

The film, Growing Up Trans, was a great medium for me to better understand and reflect on gender socialization, gender identities, and countless variations within the transgender communities. Each child and his/her stories give the audience an insight to both the personal troubles of living as transgenders and the systemic errors of the society that intensifies these troubles. Undoubtedly, the children in the film expressed their discomfort of being characterized as the deviants. Deviants are those who are perceived as outsiders and who violate what the society considers true and correct (Charon). In our society, heterosexuality and gender conformity – one’s gender identity matching one’s sexual identity – are considered the norm.

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2166 Words | 9 Pages

By upholding these ideas, transgender theology presents a more forgiving and all-encompassing view of spirituality. This can aid in the healing of persons who have experienced oppression due to their gender identity. By giving people the freedom to explore and express their gender identity without feeling ashamed or guilty, it also provides a means for people to connect with the divine in a more genuine and meaningful way. Overall, transgender theology plays a significant role in remaking the sacred world because it provides a more compassionate and inclusive view of spirituality that supports the worth and dignity of every person, regardless of gender identity or expression. Transgender theology can contribute to the creation of a more just and equitable world where everyone has the freedom to live as themselves by challenging conventional conceptions of gender and sexuality.

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657 Words | 3 Pages

Transgender is the term used to describe an individual whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth. The documentary, “Growing up Trans”, is a sensitive clip to watch about young youths who attempt to navigate family, friends, gender, and the medical decisions they face at puberty. “Growing up Trans” focuses mainly on transitioned young youths. The transgender youth from the documentary links to many theories from chapter eight. Theories such as socialization, gender, sexuality, homophobia, transphobia, and microaggression are associated with “Growing up Trans”.

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1306 Words | 6 Pages

The term “transgender” is a label that was never used until the mid 1960s. According to history, “Psychiatrist John F. Oliven of Columbia University coined the term transgender in his 1965 reference work Sexual Hygiene and Pathology (“Transgender”)”. When a transgender person desires to be the opposite gender, they may get an invasive surgery to fully transition into their new identity. Multiple transgender people have started to announce the having of the surgery has destroyed their future (Bindel). People have the right to be whatever gender they aspire to be, but transgender people should do public activities and should stay grouped with their biologically assigned sex.

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