Human Rights Office: Transgender/Transsexual: Contents: Training

Trans Accessibility Project:
Training Sessions

The material in this chapter provides the foundation for three workshops: anti-discrimination training, policy development, and skills building for counsellors. {Training objectives include...]Each will likely require a half a day to adequately cover the material and address concerns; but sessions could be sub-divided into shorter workshops (e.g., two 2-hour sessions on anti-discrimination). While particular sessions are essential for some shelter members, each is relevant for all members, including, board members, volunteers, and staff. Anti-discrimination training lays the groundwork for an elaboration of the issues in policy development and counselling issues; therefore, we strongly recommend that all shelter members receive this introductory training session. The material can be presented in any number of ways, so change or amend the outline to meet the needs of your group.

Anti-Discrimination Training

Purpose of Training

The general purpose of anti-discrimination training is to increase knowledge of transgender issues and to decrease discriminatory attitudes and behaviour. Training should be delivered in such a way as to enable participants to understand and change their own attitudes, while increasing compassion and understanding for others. The underlying assumption is that discrimination against transgendered people is unacceptable and is a violation of their human rights.

Training Process

The facilitator will need to attend closely to group process. This session is about attitudes and feelings as much as facts. Although there is a great deal of content in this session, the overall goal is to change attitudes and behaviour. Much discrimination is based on misinformation, therefore, the provision of facts and information is a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. The use of teaching strategies developed for adult learners (experiential exercises, small group work and a great deal of discussion) encourage participants to challenge their own biases and assumptions.

Potential Difficulties

There is a considerable amount of material to cover and this may be the first time that most women have been exposed to it; therefore, the topic itself may initially feel overwhelming. Again, attention to group process and the pacing of the training is important to ensure that participants have time to consolidate their learning before moving on.

Some of the concepts may be difficult for some women to grasp. We have all been raised in a rigidly gendered society. It may be difficult for some to accept the reality of more than two genders, the fluidity of gender, and the complexity of identities that do not match certain physical characteristics. Some who are well-meaning may, nevertheless, feel anxious when faced with ambiguous gender characteristics and uncertain about how to treat a transgendered person. The transphobia of some of the participants may also make this workshop difficult. Facilitators need to decide beforehand how they will deal with this, keeping in mind that there may well be transgendered women or men working within the organization. How much explicit, or implicit, transphobia will be tolerated in the training session?

[Reminder]

Content of Training

Much of the information to be covered in this session is contained in Chapters 2 and 3 (Overview Of Transgender Issues and Transphobia and Discrimination). Therefore, what follows is a general outline of topics in this training session.
  1. Transphobia & genderism

  2. Basic information on transgender

  3. Experience of transgendered women

Policy Development

Purpose of Training

The purpose of this session is to assist you in developing policies that enhance accessibility for transgendered survivors of violence. In this session you are encouraged to explore the implications of all new policies (hence, anti-discrimination training is a prerequisite). This training does not provide formulas for policy development, but rather helps to clarify policy objectives.

Training Process

The emphasis of the training is on laying the groundwork for developing policies to meet your objectives. This requires the provision of some information that could take the form of mini-lectures. For example, most people are unfamiliar with the latest developments or emerging trends in human rights legislation. The remainder of the session can take the form of brainstorming, exercises and discussion. Scenarios can be used to examine problems and practice responding to a variety of situations.

Potential Difficulties

There are several difficulties that could emerge during this session. The most likely will involve some form of catastrophizing. In any workshop it can be challenging to deal with the "what ifs", especially as they become more and more unlikely, yet still vaguely plausible. For example, a fear may be raised that a male abuser will arrive at the shelter posing as a woman, just for the purpose of getting inside the door. What do you do? While it is possible that this scenario could take place it is, in a sense, not strictly relevant to creating a policy that includes transgendered women. In the first place, the determination of his intent will likely become evident as soon as he is inside the door. In the second place, it would violate the rights of an entire group to deny them services on the off-chance that a member of another group might take advantage of the situation. Lesbians who have been abused can stay at the shelter; thus opening the possibility of an abusive partner arriving and claiming to be the victim. However, we do not exclude lesbians just in case an abuser shows up. Many of the potential difficulties tend to be the result of the group having had an insufficient amount of anti-discrimination training or information on transgender issues. While it is valuable to discuss some of the scenarios raised, it is important not to get bogged down by focusing on unlikely occurrences.

Content of Training

  1. Existing laws, emerging trends & human rights

  2. Policy objectives & implications

  3. Sample policy
Refer to the questions below to guide your discussion, keeping your objectives and human rights in mind.

Questions

  • What are the greater implications of the policy you are creating?

  • Shelters are legally mandated to provide woman-only services, by what criteria will you define "woman"?

  • How does your shelter plan to verify the gender of any resident? Based on appearance, documentation, physical exams or self-disclosure?

  • Will admission to the shelter be based on whether a woman has used hormones or had surgery? What are the implications for women who cannot afford SRS?

  • How will you address the privacy needs of TG women & other residents?

  • What are the implications of requiring one group of service-users to jump through more hoops than others?

  • How intrusive does a shelter have the right to be in relation to a person's body? How intrusive do you want to be?

  • Where to TG men fit into your policy? (Bear in mind that some shelter workers, as well as some residents, may be TG men.)

Counselling Issues

Purpose of Training

The purpose of this session is to provide shelter workers with additional information for working with transgendered women who are survivors of abuse. Although many of the issues are similar to those of any abused woman, staff need to understand transgendered women's unique histories and experiences with discrimination.

Training Process

The process of training can take the form of mini-lectures, exercises and discussion. Supporting transgendered women who have been abused in their relationships will be similar, in most ways, to supporting other women who have been abused. But it is important to help counsellors recognize both the similarities and the differences. For example, many women obtain considerable self-validation from being in romantic relationships (self-esteem, etc.). This is true for transgendered women; however, transgendered women may also find validation for their gender identity. An intimate partner may be one of the few people in a transgendered woman's life to truly recognize, and affirm, her gender by treating her as a woman. This may be true even if that treatment is abusive. Developing the self-esteem and the resources needed to escape an abusive relationship is complicated by the fact that it may be more difficult for a transgendered woman to find a relationship in which she is accepted or recognized.

Potential Difficulties

Some participants may feel that this training is unnecessary. They may believe that they do not need this information because transgendered women will not use the shelter. Others may feel that they are not, and cannot be, qualified to counsel transgendered residents. This anxiety may be based in a realistic awareness of a lack of information and/or transphobic fears. It may be helpful to remind participants that similar fears were expressed in the past by heterosexual staff about working with lesbians, white women about working with women of colour, and able-bodied women about working with women with disabilities.

Nontransgendered shelter workers can provide the support and resources needed for a transgendered woman to heal from abusive relationships. However, nontransgendered staff will need to understand, and be comfortable with, diversity in gender identity, the language of transgender, and the unique counselling issues. Some pitfalls for nontransgendered counsellors include: being unrealistically positive (trans cheerleader); avoiding discussions of internalized transphobia in an attempt to be supportive; reinforcing internalized transphobia by validating distancing from other transgendered people or communities; and minimizing the significance of gender or sexual identities. It is important to acknowledge limitations and know when it is appropriate to refer. Therefore, knowledge of the resources available is essential and may require creative problem-solving if few (or no) specific resources for transgendered people are available in your area.

Transgendered staff are able to offer transgendered residents an exceptional level of empathy, understanding and validation. Shared oppressions and/or similar experiences promote the rapid development of trust and an intuitive grasp of the complexity of one's life circumstances. Even if a transgendered staff member does not identify as such to a resident, the staff's expertise and comfort with gender issues will likely be felt by transgendered residents. Openly transgendered staff can serve as strong role models for transgendered residents and help to dispel some of the guilt and shame that may be associated with a cross-gender identity. However, there are two general areas that raise difficulties for transgendered staff working with transgendered residents. The first is over-identifying with a resident and projecting one's own experiences, solutions or politics onto the resident. The second involves internalized transphobia. As with lesbian staff working with lesbian residents, the potential for damage is greatest if the counsellor is closeted. If a transgendered counsellor is not out, her/his fears of exposure can lead to distancing from the resident; a failure to challenge the resident's fears; or conversely, pushing the resident to do what the shelter worker cannot (e.g., disclose or transition).

Content of Training

Transgendered survivors of violence experience the disbelief, terror, guilt, hopelessness and powerlessness common to all women who are victimized by their partners. They fear that they will not be believed and that they will be seen as responsible for the violence. They also have additional barriers to seeking services, disclosing their abuse, escaping abusive relationships and healing from the violence.
  1. Impact of genderism & transphobia on seeking services
    Discrimination against transgendered people by institutions and organizations is commonplace. As a result, a transgendered resident is likely to have received an inappropriate or abusive response from service-providers in the past. If she has been lucky enough to avoid blatant discrimination herself, she will know of many others who have been met with indifference, incredulity or violence. Many transgendered women are also keenly aware of the transphobic history of the women's movement and have little reason to trust feminist services any more than mainstream institutions. Therefore, the mistrust and fear that many abused women feel when approaching a shelter is compounded for transgendered women.

    Discuss

  2. Self-identification/disclosures
    Transgendered women are confronted with the decision to out themselves as transgendered when they seek services from shelters. Some may pass easily but, as with lesbians and members of other oppressed groups, some aspects of the abuse suffered may be directly related to their marginalized status. Therefore, their transgender identity may be crucial to a full understanding of the impact of the violence. This is just as true for transgendered men as for transgendered women1.

    If a transgendered woman is also lesbian or bisexual, she will need to decide if it is safe to out herself a second time; and a third, if she has a disability, characteristic or identity that is not visible and will further marginalize her. She must also deal with the possibility of being outed by staff and other residents. The real risk of additional harassment and loss must be weighed against the need for services.

    The unique bodies of some transsexual and intersexed women may make it difficult for a survivor to openly discuss particular aspects of the abuse suffered if staff are not familiar with intersex biology, non-op transsexuals or SRS (Courvant & Cook-Daniels, 1998). A resident may fear a contemptuous, shocked, or prurient response to her disclosure, or that she will be required to educate staff about her body. In addition, most transgendered people feel disconnected from, ashamed of, or disgusted by certain parts of their bodies. This often means that a woman will numb out or dissociate bodily feelings; that is, not be present in her body, whenever possible. This type of conflicted relationship with one's body has implications for self-protection, revictimization, and the emotional impact of violence.

    Discuss

  3. Impact of genderism & transphobia
    Genderism and transphobia shape transgendered women's concept of self. From an early age, the majority of transgendered people learn that who they are is not acceptable to their families and the world at large. They internalize the cultural messages that they are not who they "should be" and learn to keep their identity a secret. As with young lesbians and gays, many transgendered children are ridiculed and belittled from a very early age, both inside and outside the home. For some transgendered girls (as with some gay boys), parents may trivialize abuse by peers in an effort to reinforce their "sons" masculine behaviour (Courvant & Cook-Daniels, 1998), further eroding self-esteem and a sense of isolation.

    The widespread belief that a cross-gender identity is a mental illness adds to the shame and self-doubt that many transgendered people feel. For some, this prolonged history of abuse, whether emotional, physical or sexual, can lead to the belief that abuse for transgendered people is normal and inevitable. A transgendered woman may believe that she is lucky to have a partner, even an abusive one, and that she is not likely to find another. An abuser may reinforce these beliefs and use her vulnerability to invalidate her perceptions and convince her that she is responsible for, and deserving of, the violence (Courvant & Cook-Daniels, 1998).

    As with other survivors of early abuse, dangerous coping strategies (e.g., substance use, self-abuse) are often used to deal with feelings of shame and self-loathing. These coping strategies, and other high risk behaviours, can increase a woman's risk for victimization.

    Although these are some of the realities of many transgendered women's lives, the tremendous strength of these women must not be underestimated or forgotten. Our society demands conformity of all sorts and exceptional integrity is required to truly be ourselves. In refusing to deny their identities, even in the face of enormous pressure and hostility, these women demonstrate extraordinary courage and conviction.

    Discuss

  4. Intersection of violence, genderism & internalized transphobia
    Domestic violence, genderism and internalized transphobia each reinforce the message of the others. Genderism reinforces the beliefs of abuse victims which, in turn, reinforce the messages a transgendered woman gives herself (see diagram). As with lesbians or women of colour who are abused, victimization may go to the very heart of the woman's identity, thereby making recovery more difficult. It is, therefore, crucial to support a transgendered resident in disentangling genderism and transphobia from herself. Her gender identity may or may not have been a factor in the abuse. If she believes that it was, her fear of disclosing her gender identity may be intensified. She may return to the closet or be determined to remain there. She may feel that she is deserving of abuse and ashamed of her both her gender identity and the violence. If she is a lesbian and was assaulted by her partner, the shame may extend to her sexual, as well as gender, identity. She may be reluctant to identify her abuser as female or she may minimize the abuse.

    Discuss

[Intersecting Beliefs]

1 Although our discussions focus on transgendered women, women's organizations also provide services (perhaps unknowingly) to transgendered men. The violence that transgendered men experience often takes the form, and carries the intent, of that experienced by women. For example, pre-op or non-op transgendered men are vaginally raped and abused as "females." Therefore, the use of sexual assault crisis centers and women's shelters seem necessary and appropriate for many transgendered men. Although transgendered men's use of women's services is also contentious, many have need the support of these agencies and will continue to seek services in the future. At the very least, we believe that there should be room in counselling for a transgendered man to self-identify in order to have the nature and impact of his abuse understood; and without running the risk of being expelled from the shelter.

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