Answer

Abstract

Transgender individuals have a gender expression or gender identity or that is different from their sex assigned at birth. Studies reveal that such individuals face several problems not only at workplace but also during their day-to-day activities. Some of the problems faced with such individuals include discrimination and transphobia that have psychopathological effects. Such individuals battle problems such as anxiety and depression. This paper, based on the case study provided, discusses psychopathology of transgender individuals, transphobia and related discrimination, and transgender and the types of laws that protect them. The paper finds that transgender individuals have certain laws that protect them hence upon violations of such rules, individual risks being jailed or face certain consequences depending on the extent of damage caused.

Psychopathology, Discrimination, and Gender Issues

While the common work related issues that employees face include racial or color discrimination, transphobia is one of the problems that contemporary organizations and employees face. By definition, transphobia includes a range of negative feelings, attitudes, or actions toward transgender or transsexual individuals.  It includes, aversion, fear, hatred, anger, violence, and discomfort that are expressed towards individuals who do not conform to the expectation of the society as far as gender is concerned (Stryker, 2017).  Besides violence and other forms of threats, transphobia has the ability to cause negative emotional magnitudes that can lead to running away from home, work negligence, substance abuse and ultimately suicide. According to the study conducted by Sáenz-Herrero (2019), 85 percent of transgender individuals in Philadelphia revealed that 30 percent reported being unsafe in public places, while 91 percent feel uncomfortable for the same reason.  Majority of the individuals reported that they face harassment and physically abuse both at home and at work. Therefore, fear and discomfort that come as a result of being a transgender should be managed at workplace so that such individuals should not only feel safe and accepted, but also perform their duties with no interferences just like other employees within the organization.

Psychopathology of Transgender People

Transgender is a cover word or term which is used to describe individuals whose gender expressions or identity does not match the sex identity that they were assigned at birth. For instance, a transgender individual may identify as a man despite being born with the female genital. From physical abuse, to societal discrimination, transgender individuals experience psychopathological issues which affect health and daily activities.  One of the psychopathological issue is depression.  A study conducted by Sáenz-Herrero (2019) reveals that transgender individuals, particularly women, experience more depression that lead to suicidal ideation and attempts to commit suicide than the general population. While the depression rate of general population is 16 percent, the depressing rate of transgender is 62 percent. This is three times more than the general population.  According to the same study, the high rate of depression among transgender is not surprising due to the discrimination and social exclusion cases that such individuals experience.

There are certain several causes of the depression among the transgender individuals. One of them is social support. This is the measure that looks at the availability of individuals in one’s life who offer mental and emotional resources. In most cases, people tend to exclude themselves from transgender individuals. This causes lonely, then sadness, and ultimately depression. Sáenz-Herrero (2019) states that social support should be geared towards the problem and must be satisfactory.  Another cause of depression is violence. According to Sáenz-Herrero (2019), transgender women are at risk of violence three times as compared to the general population. It is important to note that violence against transgender women has the ability to damage the sense of self being, which can cause other mental diseases that are associated with stress and depression. Studies that examine effects of verbal and physical violence in collective indicate that violence against transgender is associated with increased depression and may be a predictor of depression.

A study conducted by Bouman, Brewin and Arcelus (2018) also assert that discrimination, abuse, rejection, and other forms of mistreatments of transgender people has the ability to impede their identity and psychosocial formation.  According to O’Donoghue and Guerin (2017), Heinz Kohut’s self-psychology theory explains that one only develops fully only when the three fundamentals needs are met. The needs are; “Mirroring (a caregiver’s accurate and consistent reflection of your emotional state), idealization (someone to look up to; a role model) and twinship (having someone who is ‘like you,’ that makes you feel you aren’t alone in the world.”  According to him, most transgender people grow while lacking one or two of such elements which then leaves them unprotected, isolated, and vulnerable to several inevitable stressors of life.

Transphobia and Discrimination

Transphobia includes aversion, fear, hatred, anger, violence, and discomfort that are expressed towards individuals who do not conform to the expectation of the society as far as gender is concerned. Transgender individuals face various forms of discrimination in society. For example, in this case, colleagues feel that the transgender should not be part of them; therefore, reported her to the commander for dismal or relocation to another place (Operario, Glynn, & Nemoto, 2018). Discrimination comes in various forms. Some people are being referred to as men while actually they are women and vice versa. Certain individuals have been denied certain rights such as housing and participation in sports because of their sexual orientation.  It evident that transgender are denied the same opportunities, rights and protections as the rest of society. Transgendered people suffer from extensive universal discrimination that can be unintentional or intentional.  Notably, the effects of growing up under the burden of discrimination may be as straight forward as knowing that one does not belong, and perhaps feeling that one does not deserve to belong. In this case, victim’s right of working and living without discrimination is being violated just because she is a transgender.

Transgender People and the Law

The laws protecting the rights of transgender, gays, lesbians, and transsexuals vary from one country to another or from one state to another. However, in most jurisdictions, discrimination based on color, gender, and sexual orientation is prohibited. This also applies to certain companies that hire candidates based on their qualification and the ability to deliver the responsibilities in line with the organizational objectives and goals. Particularly, executive order 13087 and 13672 prohibits discrimination in federal employment based on sexual orientation or gender identity. These executive orders assert that everyone has the right to be treated with respect and not to be harassed (Schroth et al., 2018). It is, therefore, unlawful and against federal employment policy to discriminate transgender. On the same note, witticisms and derogatory commentaries about transgender persons or invasive, discourteous personal interrogations institute harassment, and the supervisors should take steps to stop it (Haynes & Schweppe, 2017). Therefore, in this case, it is important to note that the person in female has the right to work at SWAT without any form of discrimination and harassment just because she is a transgender.

Conclusion

In conclusion, other than racial, color, and background, being a transgender has also subjected several individuals in severe discrimination. Defined as gender expressions or identity that does not match the sex identity that one was assigned at birth, transgender has got certain psychopathological issues such as depression and anxiety. Psychopathological issues are brought about as a result of isolation, discrimination, and violence. However, it is important to note that although not all countries and states have strict laws that protect transgender, there employment laws that prohibit discriminations based on sexual orientation hence people who gets themselves violating such regulations are likely to face certain consequences.