By Kemora Williams
As you may or may not know, November is Transgender Awareness month. Transgender means that the state of one’s gender identity or gender expression does not matching one’s assigned sex. Most commonly, transgender people identify as Male-to-Female (MTF) or Female-to-Male (FTM), the former gender referring to the person’s sex assigned at birth, and the latter referring to the gender with which the person feels comfortable and honest identifying. Transgender status alone does not mandate that someone has had or will have any type of sexual reassignment surgery, though most transgender people tend to present to the outside world as a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth.
This month is used to increase the awareness about the issues that transgender individuals face. They face issues including discrimination, unequal legislation, media stereotyping, hate crimes, and many more. As many transgender individuals have gone through or go through life as women, it is important for feminism to include and support transgender individuals. Transgender Day of Remembrance is held on November 20 as well. This day is in honor of those lost due to violence at the hands of hate. During this month rallies, educational programs, and fundraisers are held to raise awareness and unite the transgender community with allies. For more information about resources on campus on in the area please visit http://info.umkc.edu/lgbt/