Encountering Students at Villa Julie College
Realizing, Fulfilling 'Who They Are'
Encountering Students at Villa Julie College
Realizing, Fulfilling 'Who They Are'
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Realizing, Fulfilling 'Who They Are'
Washington Post, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2003; Page B01
The very idea of a transgender person makes many people uncomfortable. While acceptance of gays and lesbians has increased in recent years, transgenderism remains difficult for many to understand. Potential employers may react negatively to a male name on an ID card that does not correspond with a feminine appearance. And the use of pronouns - whether to say "he" or "she" - is a sensitive issue among transgender people.
As a society, "we want snappy answers to complex human questions," said Jessica Xavier, a transgender activist living in the District. "We want straight, gay, black, white, man, woman, no in-betweens. That's the pressure you get from a culture that doesn't understand human differences or gender variance."
Because transgender people remain one of the most closeted groups, it is difficult to assess the population; virtually no formal surveys exist. Locally, Xavier estimates the number of transgender people in the District at 4,000, with 15,000 to 20,000 living in the Washington region.
In the last few years, and even more so with the recent homicides, transgender people have become a more visible presence in D.C. neighborhoods, exhibiting a newfound pride. Activists attribute the change in part to the power of the Internet - "It has enabled transgender people of all ages to understand they're not alone," Keisling said - and the success of the gay rights movement.
In the District, where Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the population, one of the results has been more Latino men living openly as women. Most of them are recent immigrants or the children of immigrants from Latin American countries where their very existence would be denounced.
In D.C., a number of immigrants, now transgender women, are going through this transition at the same time, said Martín Ornelas-Quintero, executive director of the National Latina/o Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organization. "Did they come to this country to be transgender? No. They came here to find freedom and opportunity. That is what allowed them to fulfill and realize who they are."
