How would you feel, if you were perpetually stared at and murmurs followed you like a shadow? Having done nothing wrong, except to dress and behave the way you feel. Is it unacceptable?
That is the question that runs through many transsexuals' minds.
Offering a deeper insight on the transsexual community, The Straits Times has presented a special report on the topic.
A DEGREE from Curtin University, Western Australia, and a regional management position in a large logistics organisation.
While laudable, Juliet's achievements are not likely to make most people sit up and take notice.
Until, of course, the 40-year-old tells them she is a transsexual.
'When you say transsexual, a lot of people immediately think of Changi Village and Desker Road,' she says, referring to two of Singapore's most notorious vice haunts.
'People harbour so many stereotypes. Not all of us are prostitutes. In fact, a lot of us lead and want to lead very normal lives,' says the articulate professional whose company and colleagues know of her status.
Transsexuals - people who do not identify with the gender they are born in and sometimes change their bodies through surgery or hormone therapy - in Singapore have Bugis Street to blame for this albatross hanging around their necks. The stereotype still dogs Juliet and members of her community, although many hold down respectable jobs in law firms, engineering companies and government departments.
They live with many other tags, including widely held beliefs that they are mentally sick and sexually deviant.
Make-up artist Lynette Leong aka Ginger, in her 30s, says the community has to put up with many derogatory names, including ah kwa and bapok.
The Singapore Polytechnic graduate, who has a diploma in mechanical engineering, says: 'Even the Chinese newspapers describe us as ren yao (human monsters). How can society accept us when they perpetuate this nonsense?'
Ignorance surrounding the condition is one of the main reasons why transsexualism is a taboo subject in Singapore society. Dr Tsoi, 75, who has counselled more than 700 transsexuals over three decades, says many people do not know that transsexualism is a medical condition, not a sexual perversion. .....
[Source]
Singapore has changed in many ways since the early 1900s, but yet one thing remains the same. Rampant with negative preconceptions, the social stigma associated with the transsexual community stays unchanged. The Straits Times article had a sobering effect, in which the other side of the coin was finally displayed to the public. It debunked the original impressions most had that were strongly influenced by societal norms.
A transsexual is thought to be an anomaly in the society, a cross between the two genders. They are different from the general notion of how a male or female should be. As people prefer to communicate with like-minded individuals, transsexuals are often repelled because they are different. It is especially so as we have all been engineered to stick with our perception of what's normal, and a preference for staying in our comfort zone.
Hardly do we find ambivalence in the opinions that are placed towards this particular group of people. More often than not, intense feelings of repulsion or general dread would be found instead. But what basis is there to be feeling this way?
Perception is something very subjective. In this case, the perception of today's transsexual community is attributed partly to miscommunication. Perceptual bias is also formed according to Bacon's Four Idols.
Follwing Bacon, individuals form different impressions due to the Four Idols - Idols of the Cave, Idols of the Tribe, Idols of the Marketplace and Idols of the Theatre. In this scenario, I believe it to be a combination of media portrayal, the pressure to be coherent with societal views and one's upbringing as well as religious beliefs.
People form impressions based on what they see. Unfortunately, we do not see a lot. And when we do, it would be through media channels such as television and newspapers which are most often skewed towards a certain degree of biasness. Most television programmes and newspapers would refrain from putting transsexuals in a light that differs from the public view. They refrain from controversy and public outrage. On the contrary, they only serve to ingrain and fuel the negative public perception of transsexuals through stereotypical roles in dramas and such. Another instance would be the use of derogatory terms to describe transsexuals. ''Even the Chinese newspapers describe us as ren yao (human monsters). How can society accept us when they perpetuate this nonsense?'' This would be a case where perceptual bias was formed through Idols of the Tribe. The origin of influence would be the mass media. On another note, do you think it to be ethically right for a journalist to use such culturally insensitive terms?
Blatantly put, the first thought that comes to our minds with regards to transsexuals would be "Changi Village", or terms such as "Ah Kwa". It has become second nature to us as these were the terms that we grew up with. Our impressions are also formed only by what we see. It does not help that the most prominent sightings of transsexuals would be in Changi Village, where they solicit for customers. They are also frequently seen in the shopping district, but that fact is disregarded due to human's penchant for jumping to conclusions. "People harbour so many stereotypes. Not all of us are prostitutes. In fact, a lot of us lead and want to lead very normal lives". This refers back to Bacon's Idol of the Cave where it is human nature to jump to conclusions and assume.
We all like to frame what we see in the context that we like it to be. Humans crave for reassurance, and for proof that substantiates their school of thought. Thus, we tend to distort facts into a subjective opinion based on our own experiences and beliefs. And because the main impression of transsexuals would be prostitutes in Changi Village, we chose to go with that perception. Other options are disregarded because it would not fit into the system of thoughts that we have been brought up with.
Additionally, the basic social want for humans would be to fit in. People want to be well integrated in the society, refraining from being too different for the fear of being outcasted. As the general consensus towards transsexuals are of a negative nature, most just follow blindly without questioning why.
"Why?" You may ask.
"Because it's normal." One replies.
From this we see Bacon's Idol of the Theatre, where trends are followed without any questions asked. There is a tendency to follow the majority, for humans favour the phrase "safety in numbers". Therefore, "widely held beliefs that they are mentally sick and sexually deviant" are not questioned and simply accepted without a doubt.
Just because it feels socially right. Just because it is what everyone else is doing. And just because, it is normal.
However, our own personal upbringing also plays a part in the misconception of transsexuals and such. Bacon's Idols of the Tribe states that perceptual bias is formed partly due to our upbringing, individual experiences and beliefs. Those born to a traditional Asian household may have a stronger aversion as opposed to those brought up in a more liberal environment. Homosexuality in general is taboo in the Asian culture. Because of strong traditions and conservative views, many of the older generation are strongly opposed to effeminancy because it goes against the behaviours and roles that are laid out for a male. Perhaps it is due to the inflexibility of the Asian culture, where it is hard to accept change. The emasculation of a male is a an extremely big change to the Asian's belief of how men should be. Especially so in Asian cultures, where men assume the roles of leaders and providers while women stay at home and display characteristics deemed as feminine (i.e. looking after the house, raising children). Would you have thought differently if you were brought up in Europe, or Thailand for that matter instead?
Again, disparate ideas are also formed based on the varying levels of exposure that one receives. An individual would be more receptive to transsexualism if he/she was already acquainted with the idea of homosexuality. Likewise, people who have transsexual friends would be less averse as well. Take for instance people from single sex instituitions, where they have already been exposed and used to the concepts of homosexuality. Conversely, it is those who are strangers to the world of transsexualism that make quick judgement. In my opinion, I agree with Dr Tsoi in the article that ignorance is the cause of it all. People who know nothing would jump to conclusions because they have no basis to build their opinions on. Hence, they lean towards the external view that others have in forming their own perceptions. Sadly, most others are equally ignorant as well. It could be termed as the blind leading the blind.
I empathize with those who chose this path. It isn't an easy journey, what with the widespread misconception and criticism that they have faced. If you think about it, their core needs and wants are exactly the same as the rest of us. Like other humans, they crave for acceptance and thrive on emotions.
Is it unacceptable to want to be who you really are?
And is it really wrong, to be different?