Issues and Concerns of Transgenders – Ways Forward for living Gender of Choice

Purpose: people are associated with specific gender based on their genitals. Transgenders feel a mismatch in their gender and associate to the traits of opposite gender gradually. There are broad spectrum of people who gradually identify themselves with gender different to which they are born. Traditionally transgenders are of divine creature but gradually they have been marginalized substantially. Their life is highly influenced through culture, tradition and practices. They are known as ‘third gender’ who are exposed to the evils of social stigma and discrimination. Due to lack of skills and social rejection this segment chooses prostitution or beggary as a means for their life. Substantial population of transgenders lives social exclusion and vulnerability to communicable diseases. In the modern society discrimination and violence based on race, gender, income, ethnicity, sexual identity has become a global concern seeking immediate action. In this direction this study gains momentum to find ways forward. Design/Methodology/Approach: This scholarly manuscript is both descriptive and exploratory in nature. It aims to derive conclusions by using secondary data contributing to development of literature based on the futuristic needs. Findings/Result: It is found that transgender community is exposed to several problems, deteriorated life with social exclusion, social rejection, stigma, gender crisis, lack of social protection, etc. Originality/Value: Paper deliberates on the contemporary issues of identity crisis, problems and legal regime as national and global concern for the transgenders. It propagates need for social, political, economic and cultural mainstreaming of the transgenders through social inclusion, freedom to opt gender of choice, integrated approach, inclusive growth, etc. Paper Type: Conceptual Research.

Waste People and the Vampiric Society

Chen Qiufan’s 2013 novel Waste Tide has become one of the most popular stories in Chinese New Wave Science Fiction, especially after the publication of its English version in 2019. This essay argues that in addition to the environmental concerns Waste Tide brings to the fore, the novel also calls for a discussion centered on migrant workers in China. Rendered as waste people on Silicon Isle, these migrant workers find themselves trapped in the duality of "economic acceptance" and "social rejection," forming an autonomous community that can be read through Michel Foucault’s notion of heterotopia. Out of the humiliation imposed by the Silicon Isle natives and the resulting mentality of failure and trauma, the waste people have developed a desire for change and transgression. However, their efforts and sacrifice for self-liberation turn out to be in vain, because in doing so, they are consumed by the vampiric logic of market competition. Such a competition, in fact, is evident not only in the fictional Silicon Isle, but also in the real cities benefitting from China’s market-oriented transition.

Social Determinants of Mental Health During a Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Belonging is a basic human need, with social isolation signaling a threat to biological fitness. Sensitivity to ostracism varies across individuals and the lifespan, peaking in adolescence. Government-imposed restrictions upon social interactions during COVID-19 may therefore be particularly detrimental to young people and those most sensitive to ostracism. Participants (N = 2367; 89.95% female, 11-100 years) from three countries with differing levels of government restrictions (Australia, UK, and USA) were surveyed trice at three-month intervals (May 2020 – April 2021). Young people, and those living under the tightest government restrictions, reported the worst mental health, with these inequalities in mental health remaining constant throughout the study period. Further dissection of these results revealed that young people high on social rejection sensitivity reported the most mental health problems at the final assessment. These findings help account for the greater impact of enforced social isolation on young people’s mental health, and open novel avenues for intervention.

Peculiarities of Relations in LGBT Community

Introduction. LGBT communities belong to groups with deviant behavior. A small amount of information about the structure of the LGBT community causes the following problems: 1. Disinformation and negative attitude towards the activities of the LGBT community. 2. The LGBT community consists of significantly different groups with different needs and specific problems, which leads to misunderstandings and conflicts of interests within the social movement. 3. Hidden conflicts within the LGBT community have an influence on its activity. The purpose of the research is to study the peculiarities of intergroup relations within the LGBT community. Methodology, methods and techniques. Participants were 134 representatives of the LGBT community. The sample included 34 lesbians, 8 gays, 16 bisexuals, 27 transgender, 15 asexual people, 14 pansexual and 20 genderqueer or non-binary people. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the study. The respondents were asked to fill out a questionnaire including the following techniques: 1. Questionnaire “Components of social capital” by L. G. Pochebut; 2. Questionnaire “SEP” by L. G. Pochebut; 3. Questionnaire “The need for affiliation” by A. Mahrebian; 4. Questionnaire “Measuring trust” by R. B. Sho; 5. Open questions. Results. When analyzing the data, the following significant intergroup differences were identified: indicators of “trust” and “goals and values” are lower among transgender people than lesbian, pansexual and genderqueer people. The level of trust among pansexual people is higher than in other groups. “Fear of social rejection” with asexual people is higher than with prosexual people, while the same indicator with asexual people is higher than “fear of social rejection” with lesbian, gay and pansexual people. Gays have lower “fear of social rejection” than transgender people. At the same time, the latter are less inclined to collectivism than cisgender. Lesbians are more prone to affective neutrality than gay and transgender people, while homosexual men are likely to be affective than other groups. Bisexual people are more prone to universalism than other groups. Scientific novelty of the research is determined by the fact that intergroup relations in the LGBT community have not been previously investigated by Russian scientists. Practical significance. To provide effective counselling being in great demand nowadays among LGBT people, it is necessary to understand community peculiarities and relations between groups.