Karney 1

Eric Karney
Mrs. Rager
HELA II
19 February 2015
The Struggle for Transgender Rights
As society begins to gradually accept the civil rights of the queer community, such as
marriage equality and protective laws, the movement for transgender rights is becoming more of
an issue, although much greater progress is still required. In the modern world of gender roles
and binaries, being denoted simply as other has led to common problems for the transgender
community, such as workplace discrimination, lack of recognition in schools, exclusion from
gender specific sports, and interacting with intolerance on a daily basis. Combined these factors
work to demean any person who does not fall within the strict limits of the cisgender binary
complex. Traditional values have left others who do not belong behind and struggling to survive.
The drive for basic liberties is an important one, because it means a difference of life and death
and can also allow people who have been excluded from society for most of its past, to be
welcomed in a new age. The rights of transgender people in modern society have been neglected,
and the people themselves demeaned, leading to an oppressed group of people who must search
for their identity and simultaneously strive for their basic civil rights.
Queer people in the workforce, especially those who are transgender, experience a much
greater deal of discrimination than their cisgender counterparts. It is currently legal in thirty two
states to fire workers for being transgender (Malone). Another historic right was taken away last
week as Kansas Governor Brownback signed an executive order rescinding protective rights for
LGBTQ state employees. This move was viewed by Tom Witt, director of Equality Kansas

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asan outrage. Gay, lesbian, and transgender state employees across Kansas have trusted they
would be safe from discrimination and harassment in their workplace but Sam Brownback has,
by erasing their job protections, declared open season on every one of them (Lowry). Across
the country as rights are being won each day for marriage equality, rights for gender identity are
either being removed, as in this example, or not noticed at all.
Transgender students also face an array of discrimination in schools, such as being forced
into using the bathroom of their assigned gender and not being recognized by the school as the
gender that the student identifies with, typically leading to schools referring to that student by
their assigned gender and its pronouns. This action is extremely demeaning and also poses the
question of what bathroom to use. Rather than utilizing gender non-specific restrooms, schools
commonly use bathrooms assigned by gender, which can be confusing for students who are
recognized by their school as a certain gender, while they themselves identify differently. A
discrepancy in appearance also tends to confuse other students, who remain mostly ignorant on
the issue. While a bathroom is just a bathroom, it can hold great significance for transgender
and gender nonconforming kids, especially those seeking acceptance from peers (McGuire, B1),
which can make a huge difference between feeling welcome or rejected for transgender students.
Another challenge is participating in sports, specifically the issue of students with
varying anatomies changing in the same locker room, although they both identify with a certain
gender. Transgender athletes are used to being excluded from locker rooms, because of this
problem, but recent actions have also hurt these students even more. Thirty-two states have
adopted policies in recent years regarding transgender athleteswith several states placing
restrictions on their ability to compete with teammates of their preferred gender (Somashekhar,

Karney 3
A1). In addition to facing intolerance during the school day, transgender students are also banned
from participating in extracurricular sports, because they identify as transgender.
The movement for transgender equality is simple and based on the idea that people who
grapple with gender identity still deserve the same rights as any cisgender person. This notion is
rejected by opponents to transgender rights, who claim that imposing legislation on the issue
would be an attack on religious and personal beliefs, These laws are used to trump fundamental
civil liberties such as free speech and free exercise of religion (Anderson). Rather than single
out those with traditional beliefs, protective legislation is passed to ensure the rights of
transgender people, who have faced hate crimes and discrimination for most of history and are
now being safeguarded through the law. Another fallacy in the oppositions argument is that the
Constitution provides the right to discriminate against others, because they have a right to free
speech and personal beliefs. Although this remains a crucial liberty in our society, the
Constitution was not created to protect the right of discrimination, but rather provide protection
for those who would otherwise be excluded and legally defenseless.
The lack of transgender rights has led to discrimination and intolerance for those outside
of the antediluvian cisgender binary complex. Recently, Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teenager
took her life after experiencing extreme discrimination, both from her school and family. She
wrote that she didnt want her death to be in vain and she wanted to bring awareness to the lack
of civil rights for transgender people. In modern society, transgender people are subject to
discrimination at work and school, by not being recognized as the gender they identify with,
which demeans their very existence. Mostly traditional forces are opposed to rights for
transgender people, claiming that such rights would be an attack on their basic freedoms.
However, such rights would legally establish a position for the defenseless, which was the

Karney 4
original goal of the Constitution. Establishing such laws would allow transgender people to live
in harmony with society and include them in modern life and it should be the goal of all citizens
to enhance the life of others. Maintaining a stance of indifference would only aid the oppressor
and not the oppressed and also let tragic deaths, such as Leelah Alcorns, would be in vain.

Karney 5
Works Cited
Anderson, Ryan T. "Special Protections Shouldn't Trump Basic Liberties." Heritage Foundation.
26 Sep. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb. 2015
Lowry, Bryan. "Gov. Sam Brownback Rescinds Protected-class Status for LGBT State Workers
in Kansas." Kansas City Star. Kansas City Star, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Malone, Luke. "Here Are The 32 States Where You Can Be Fired For Being LGBT." Vocativ. 12
Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
McGuire, Kim. "New School Bathrooms Welcome All Genders." Star Tribune 26 Dec. 2014. Star
Tribune. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
Somashekhar, Sandhya. "Transgender Athletes Struggle to Find Their Playing Field."
Washington Post. 04 Oct. 2014: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.

Highlighting Rhetorical Arguments Key

Ethos
Logos
Pathos

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Grading
Criteria
Content
and Ideas

Description

Organization

Voice

Diction/
Syntax/
Convention
s

Clear argument
Support uses ethos, logos, and
pathos
4 or more credible sources
used
Antithesis addressed and
refuted

Effective introduction and hook

Paragraphs are organized
around claim statements
Transitions are used between
paragraphs
Sequence is logical

Conclusion leaves reader with powerful final

statement

The writer connects with the audience

through the intriguing focus of the topic,
selection of relevant details, and the
use of natural, engaging language,
including the use of vocabulary.

Publication/
Appearance

Points

x2

10/10 PEER 1 NAME - None

10/10 PEER 2 NAME - Great expression of
argument
10/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

x2

9/10 PEER 1 NAME - I would explore the

violence/hate crime aspect a bit more since
you touched on it but it could be very good for
evoking emotional response
9/10 PEER 2 NAME - maybe a few more
fluid transitions, but overall really good
10/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
0

x2

x2

10/10 PEER 1 NAME - None

10/10 PEER 2 NAME - none
10/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

Five vocabulary words are

used naturally and effectively.
Writing is all in 3 person.
Quotations are embedded
and cited.
0-3 Errors in grammatical
structure

typed and double-spaced

Times New Roman; 12 pt.
proper MLA formatting; heading
that includes student name,
instructors name, class, and
date
works cited page is included.

rd

9/10 PEER 1 NAME - All good but in the first

sentence when you said trans people feel
alienated from their bodies, I mean not every
trans person has dysphoria. Other than that;
good
10/10 PEER 2 NAME - none
10/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
1

x2

10/10 PEER 1 NAME - None

10/10 PEER 2 NAME - got that MLA flow
10/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher