Perceptions of Transgender People and Their Rights

• In Event: Trans* Populations As Victims and Targets of Public Policy

Abstract

This article explores undergraduate perceptions of transgender people and transgender rights. By drawing upon current trans literature and the state of trans awareness in Canadian society, this article hopes to contribute to Canadian protections policy in regard to trans people and trans rights. This article discusses the history of the trans community, their unique difficulties and current state of trans rights in Canada and the United States. Undergraduate students at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology were surveyed online using a 5-Point Likert Scale to gauge their perceptions on what they feel about those who are apart of the trans-community and what they understand their protections to be. By exploring undergraduate perceptions, this article hopes to encourage policy to explore the millennial view of these topics, and discuss the dissonance from actual policy while contributing to broader social awareness of trans people and their rights.

Author

• Victoria Ginsley, University of Ontario Institute of Technology