Just two genders? Really?

Thierry Goguel d'Allondans and Jonathan Nicolas presenting their books. Foto: Mathieu Rampin / CC-BY 2.0

(Mathieu Rampin) – On his arrival in the White House, Donald Trump immediately announced that the United States would recognize only two genders (men and women). This decision is a terrible setback for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, which is thus marginalized by the world’s most powerful man.

“What worries me is the rise of the far right: every autocrat on the planet is against people from the LGBT community, and even women”, confesses Thierry Goguel d’Allondans, anthropologist and researcher. Against a backdrop of acceptance that has been closing in over the last few months, around twenty people gathered around Thierry Goguel d’Allondans and Jonathan Nicolas on Tuesday evening, to take an in-depth look at the issue of gender. On the terrace of the bar, “Le Canapé Queer de Strasbourg”, the discussions began with the normalization of being a transgender person or considering it.

As an anthropologist, Thierry Goguel d’Allondans pointed out that in many cultures, transgender people have been an integral part of society for centuries. For example, Hijras in India have been considered neither male nor female for several hundred years. In other countries, the issue is more complex, until 2009, when trans-identity was considered a mental illness in France.

The importance of support – In their two books, entitled “Refaire Famille’ and ‘Choisir son genre?’”, the two authors wanted to focus not only on acceptance, but also on the support that can be given to transgender people. “It is no longer compulsory to consult a psychiatrist to begin a transition. However, most people want to talk to a professional before starting the process”, explains child psychologist and psychotherapist Jonathan Nicolas. The debate continues thanks to the audience. Some of the participants pointed out that some health professionals are not very comprehensive to the problems encountered by transgender people. Jonathan Nicolas responded to some of their concerns: “It’s normal to make mistakes when you first learn about these issues”.

The psychologist urges people to be good listeners, to help transgender people with their questions (and that goes for anyone, by the way). He adds: “It’s the stigma, judgement and harassment that make some transgender people feel bad about themselves, not the fact of being transgender”.

Families also have a role to play in supporting children. “I recently met a girl who was in tears and told me she felt bad because her parents didn’t accept who she was”, tells Thierry Goguel d’Allondans. He continues: “At the age of 5 or 7, that’s when the first questions about gender appear, it’s a minority of children who experience themselves profoundly as a gender other than their own”.

So we need to support children in these situations, because it’s a profound feeling. Thierry Goguel d’Allondans therefore calls for: “Not the right to be different, but the right to be indifferent”. Indeed, the majority of people are not at all bothered by transgender people. On the contrary, if they are happy that way, so much the better. It’s more a minority against difference that spends a lot of energy trying to exclude transgender people.