scholarly journals Coming Up Short: The Catholic Church’s Pastoral Response to the Transgender Crisis in America

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 337
Author(s):  
Stephanie Roy-Steier
Keyword(s):  
Good Practice ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Theological Interpretation ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
Practice Models ◽  
Pastoral Response ◽  
Education And Care ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Practical Theological

The Vatican and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have issued official responses to the phenomenon of gender diversity, as well as instructions for the education and care of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people in America. However, have these authorities effectively utilized current sociological research to develop and implement contextually appropriate pastoral practices that are lifegiving and to the greatest benefit of this at-risk population? This article argues that they have not and that their recommendations have been linked to increased harm and marginalization. Utilizing Richard Osmer’s framework for practical theological interpretation, this article begins with an overview of the Magisterium’s guidance, followed by a summary of quantitative data gleaned from national surveys, population studies, and demographic analyses that reveals unique experiences of suffering and oppression. The middle sections bring in leading theories and findings from social, health, and medical fields, which illustrate TGD needs and vulnerabilities and expose the Magisterial offices’ dangerous failure to meet or even acknowledge them. The final sections call for a revised pastoral approach grounded in the concrete situations of TGD people and congruent with the Church’s commitment to love, service, and social justice. Good practice models and ethical norms are suggested for immediate incorporation into care and praxis.

The Co-Occurrence of Autism and Gender Diversity

2020 ◽  
pp. 197-211
Author(s):  
Jill C. Fodstad ◽  
Rebecca Elias ◽  
Shivali Sarawgi
Keyword(s):  
Gender Dysphoria ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
Medical Interventions ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
Nonbinary Gender ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions ◽  
The Common ◽  
And Gender

Gender diversity refers to gender expressions and/or gender identity experiences that vary from the common experiences of gender. Gender-diverse people may be gender nonconforming, gender nonbinary, gender fluid, gender exploring, transgender, and so forth. Some gender-diverse individuals experience gender dysphoria and/or gender incongruence and may require gender-affirming supports, including gender-affirming medical interventions. The co-occurrence of autism and gender diversity has been highlighted in a series of studies internationally as well as through rich community expressions. Studies in gender-referred individuals reveal high rates of autism traits as well as high rates of existing autism diagnoses. Studies in autistic populations reveal greater gender diversity characteristics. The long-term course of gender diversity in autistic individuals is poorly understood. Clinical guidelines have been developed for adolescents with the co-occurrence, but much work remains: No gender-related measures have been developed and tested for use in neurodiverse populations, no programs exist to support gender-diverse neurodiverse adults, and little is known about co-occurring mental health profiles, risks, or protective factors for people with the co-occurrence. The inclusion of this chapter on co-occurring autism and gender diversity within a book on “co-occurring psychiatric conditions” is problematic, because gender diversity is not a “psychiatric condition,” but instead a form of human diversity. The diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria is useful only insomuch as it allows individuals to obtain necessary gender-related supports. The authors’ choice to include this chapter in this book reflects a compromise, motivated by the need for educating both autism and gender specialists in this common co-occurrence.

scholarly journals Diversity and safety on campus @ Western: Heterosexism and cissexism in higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole L. Asquith ◽  
Tania Ferfolia ◽  
Brooke Brady ◽  
Benjamin Hanckel
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Diverse Students ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
Sexuality And Gender ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Discrimination, harassment and violence can vitiate staff and students’ experiences of education and work. Although there is increasing knowledge about these experiences in primary and secondary education, very little is known about them in higher education. This paper draws from landmark research that examines the interpersonal, educational and socio-cultural perspectives that prevail about sexuality and gender diversity on an Australian university campus. In this paper we focus on three aspects of the broader research findings: the heterosexism and cissexism experienced by sexuality and gender diverse students and staff at the university; their actions and responses to these experiences; and the impact of these experiences on victims. The research demonstrates that although the university is generally safe, sexuality and gender diverse students and staff experience heterosexist and cissexist discrimination, which can have negative ramifications on their workplace and learning experiences.

Epistemic Injustice and Judicial Discourse on Transgender Rights in India: Uncovering Temporal Pluralism

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-49
Author(s):  
Dipika Jain ◽  
Kimberly M. Rhoten
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Epistemic Injustice ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Gender Binary ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Judicial Discourse ◽  
And Gender

This article examines how efforts at legal legibility acquisition by gender diverse litigants result in problematic (e.g., narratives counter to self-identity) and, at times, erroneous discourses on sex and gender that homogenize the litigants themselves. When gender diverse persons approach the court with a rights claim, the narrative they present must necessarily limit itself to a normative discourse that the court may understand and, therefore, engage with. Consequently, the everyday lived experiences of gender diverse persons are often deliberately erased from the narrative as litigants mould themselves into the pre-existing normative legal categories of gender and sex. As a result of such mechanisms, the article finds that gender diverse litigants face epistemic injustice in the courts as their legal legibility is constructed within a constraining gender binary paradigm of judicial discourse. The article explores the trajectory of transgender rights in India, through an analysis of case law prior to and post the landmark NALSA decision, to understand how the approach to transgender rights and identities has been shaped by and shapes, in turn, normative conceptions of gender. The article argues for the incorporation of temporal pluralism into the law that would allow courts to hear gender diverse litigant accounts premised on contemporary gender diversity beyond the binary (rather than incontestable prior understandings based in past precedent), which would better account for such social injustices.

scholarly journals RESPONSE: SEX & GENDER DIVERSITY, AND THE LIMITATIONS OF LEGAL IDENTIFICATION

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
Fine Detail ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Legal Identification ◽  
Insight Into

This comment expands on three key issues raised by the argument put forward in on the article by Ashleigh Bagshaw in this volume entitled ‘Exploring the Implications of Gender Identification for Transgender People under Australian Law’. It points out that sex and gender diversity goes beyond transsexualism and explores the need to factor this insight into any future legal developments. It notes that the implications of any change to marriage law could be profound for sex and gender diverse people, and considers how change should best proceed. It concludes that the debates about the fine detail of legal regulation in this area beg the question of whether law should even be in the business of identifying and recording people’s sex/gender in the first place.

scholarly journals Camouflaging in autism spectrum disorder: Examining the roles of sex, gender identity, and diagnostic timing

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110421
Author(s):  
Goldie A McQuaid ◽  
Nancy Raitano Lee ◽  
Gregory L Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Main Effects

Camouflaging in autism spectrum disorder could be a factor in later diagnosis of individuals without co-occurring intellectual disability, particularly among those designated female sex at birth. Little research to date has examined how gender identity impacts camouflaging, however. Further, no study has compared groups that differ in diagnostic timing to directly investigate if later-diagnosed individuals demonstrate elevated camouflaging relative to those receiving an earlier diagnosis. Using the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire subscales (Assimilation, Compensation, and Masking), we investigated the roles of sex, gender identity (gender diverse vs cisgender), and diagnostic timing (childhood/adolescent-diagnosed vs adult-diagnosed), and the interactions of these factors, in autistic adults ( N = 502; age 18–49 years). Main effects of sex, gender identity, and diagnostic timing were revealed. Autistic females reported more camouflaging across Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire subscales compared to males. Gender diverse adults reported elevated camouflaging on the Compensation subscale compared to cisgender adults. Adulthood-diagnosed individuals reported elevated Assimilation and Compensation compared to childhood/adolescence-diagnosed individuals. We discuss how aspects of camouflaging may have particular implications for later diagnostic timing and for the intersection of neurodiversity and gender diversity. Lay abstract Camouflaging in autism spectrum disorder refers to behaviors and/or strategies that mask the presentation of autism spectrum disorder features in social contexts in order to appear “non-autistic” (Attwood, 2007). Camouflaging modifies the behavioral presentation of core autism spectrum disorder features (e.g. social and communication differences), but the underlying autistic profile is unaffected, yielding a mismatch between external observable features and the internal lived experience of autism. Camouflaging could be an important factor in later diagnosis of individuals without co-occurring intellectual disability, especially among those designated female sex at birth. Little research to date has examined how gender identity impacts camouflaging, however. Furthermore, no study has compared groups that differ in diagnostic timing to directly investigate if later-diagnosed individuals show elevated camouflaging relative to those receiving an earlier diagnosis. We used the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire subscales (Assimilation, Compensation, and Masking) and investigated the roles of sex, gender identity (gender diverse vs cisgender), and diagnostic timing (childhood/adolescent-diagnosed vs adult-diagnosed), and the interactions of these factors, in autistic adults ( N = 502; ages 18–49 years). Main effects of sex, gender identity, and diagnostic timing were revealed. Autistic females reported more camouflaging across all three Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire subscales compared to males. Gender diverse adults reported elevated camouflaging on the Compensation subscale compared to cisgender adults. Adulthood-diagnosed individuals reported elevated Assimilation and Compensation compared to childhood/adolescence-diagnosed individuals. We discuss how the aspects of camouflaging may have unique implications for later diagnostic timing and for the intersection of neurodiversity and gender diversity.

scholarly journals The Role of the Avatar in Gaming for Trans and Gender Diverse Young People

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (22) ◽  
pp. 8617
Author(s):  
Helen Morgan ◽  
Amanda O'Donovan ◽  
Renita Almeida ◽  
Ashleigh Lin ◽  
Yael Perry
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
And Gender

A significant proportion of trans and gender diverse (TGD) young people report membership of the gaming community and resultant benefits to wellbeing. To date their experiences and needs regarding a key feature of games, the avatar, are largely unexplored, despite increasing interest in the therapeutic role of avatars in the general population. The aim of this study was to better understand the role of the avatar in gaming, its impact on TGD young people’s mental health, and their unique needs regarding avatar design. N = 17 TGD young people aged 11–22 years (M = 16.3 years) participated in four focus groups. A general inductive approach was used to thematically analyze the transcribed data. TGD young people report considerable therapeutic benefits of using avatars with positive mental health implications. Importantly, TGD young people use avatars to explore, develop and rehearse their experienced gender identities, often as a precursor to coming out in the offline world. They also report negative experiences of feeling excluded due to the constraints of conventional notions of gender that are widely reflected in game design. Participants described simple design features to better reflect gender diversity, such as increased customization. Such changes would facilitate the positive gains reported by participants and better reflect the diversity of young people who use games. The findings have important implications for both recreational and serious or therapeutic game design.

The Psychological Society of South Africa’s guidelines for psychology professionals working with sexually and gender-diverse people: towards inclusive and affirmative practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris/tine McLachlan ◽  
Juan A Nel ◽  
Suntosh R Pillay ◽  
Cornelius J Victor
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Practice Guidelines ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Position Statement ◽  
Affirmative Practice ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
And Gender

In this article, we outline the practice guidelines for psychology professionals working with sexually and gender-diverse people, ratified by the Psychological Society of South Africa’s Council in 2017. The guidelines are an augmentation of the Psychological Society of South Africa’s position statement of 2013 providing a framework for understanding the challenges that sexually and gender-diverse people face in patriarchal and hetero- and cis-normative societies. An affirmative stance towards sexual and gender diversity enables psychology practitioners to work ethically, effectively, and sensitively in this field. The guidelines – a first for Africa – are aspirational in nature and call on psychology professionals to become aware of their own biases, conscientise themselves of the best practices in the field by continued professional development, and to utilise the guidelines as a resource in their related work. Brief mention is made of the development process, before the rationale and possible applications of the 12 guidelines are explored.

scholarly journals Toward making sexual and gender diverse populations count in Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-29
Author(s):  
Anthony Lyons ◽  
Joel Anderson ◽  
Mary Lou Rasmussen ◽  
Edith Gray
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Diverse Populations ◽  
National Surveys ◽  
The Past ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
Social Support Services ◽  
And Gender

Background  Comprehensive data on gender and sexual identity is critical for the planning and delivery of health, education, and social support services. This paper examines ways in which sexual and gender diverse populations are being counted in research, with a view to informing discussions about how to represent these populations in future research. Aims  To examine approaches used for the collection of data from sexual and gender diverse populations in Australia. Data and methods  We reviewed nine examples of large national surveys conducted in Australia over the past ten years and compared the approaches used for collecting data on gender and sexual identity. Results  A diversity of approaches and a range of limitations were identified in how these diverse populations are counted. The proportions of survey respondents across sex, gender and sexual identity categories, and the types of categories, were also found to vary across studies. Conclusions  There is currently no consistent approach for collecting data involving sexual and gender diverse populations in Australia despite the need for large-scale surveys that reflect sexual and gender diversity. This paper identifies conceptual and methodological questions for consideration when planning how to capture diversity related to gender and sexual identity.

scholarly journals You, Me, and Them: Understanding Employees’ Use of Trans-Affirming Language within the Workplace

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Perales ◽  
Christine Ablaza ◽  
Wojtek Tomaszewski ◽  
Dawn Emsen-Hough
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Employee Survey ◽  
Organizational Environments ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Workplace Inclusion

Abstract Introduction As the benefits of workplace inclusion become progressively recognized, employers are making greater efforts to cultivate inclusive organizational environments where employees from diverse backgrounds can thrive. Yet academic research has often neglected issues of sexual orientation and gender diversity. We contribute to redressing this knowledge gap by examining processes of workplace inclusion for employees with diverse genders and sexualities, focusing on an under-researched area—the role of language. Methods Using a regression framework, we empirically examine how different individual and workplace factors are associated with employees’ inclusive language use toward their trans- and gender-diverse colleagues. To accomplish this, we undertook the first-ever analyses of unique survey data from the 2020 Australian Workplace Equality Index Employee Survey (n ~ 27,000 employees and ~ 150 employers). Results Our results highlight the role of employees’ socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., their gender and sexual orientation, age, education, and religiosity) as well as the role of features of the workplace environment (e.g., employer’s size, location, and inclusion culture). Conclusions While use of appropriate language toward individuals with diverse genders and sexualities constitutes an important stepping stone to their workplace inclusion, this study has demonstrated that its adoption remains incomplete and highly segmented. Social Policy Implications These findings bear important implications for the design, targeting, and implementation of programs aimed at fostering trans-affirming language and the workplace inclusion of individuals from sexual and gender minorities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document