In line with the project’s goal, our team feels that it is necessary to reduce stigmatization against the Transgendered community in Singapore first before resolving other problems because we feel that reducing stigmatization first can eventually lead to a positive spill-over effect towards problems like low-income and barriers to housing and employment.

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To a certain extent, we need to acknowledge is that the underlying root cause of low-income, high barriers to housing & employment and difficulties in seeking family acceptance that Transgenders face is often attributed to the stigmatization that others hold against Transgenders.

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As covered in the themes that we derived, the perceived low self-efficacy that Transgenders hold could possibly stem from a resignation to what they have been labelled by others - as mentally unsound individuals or sexual predators, as well as combination of rejection and discrimination from families and society. With stigmatization, limited jobs are available because some service/corporate industries are not accepting of Transgenders, the more likely Transgenders are going to increase their reliance on sex work as a main source of income because its fast cash. With family dejection, abuse and trauma, it is difficult for Transgenders to commit to jobs/find jobs because of these physical and mental health issues.

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Hence, through the dissemination of our video, we hope that we are able to reduce stigmatization within micro systems such as the family unit first (refer below for detailed solution) in hopes of raising awareness and empathy among families that Transgenders may be at risk of becoming more vulnerable and helpless if they are chased out. While the group acknowledges that this may be a challenging feat as it entails changing one’s perception to become more accepting of Transgenders, we hope that in time families who feel threatened or who hold a negative impression of Transgenders will be more open minded so that it can reduce the likelihood of abuse and mental trauma that some of our participants had to experience.

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Likewise, we hope that a positive shift in mindset in micro systems will eventually transcend towards macro systems such as work environment and public spaces.

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Putting two together, we look forward that when people become more open-minded towards Transgenders, the reduction in stigmatization will allow Transgenders to enjoy more job opportunities, reduce their dependency on sex work and most importantly, increase their self-worth and efficacy.

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While we acknowledge that what we are proposing is challenging in some ways and has its own limitations, it’s important to note that it’s not a “one size fit all” solution, and it may require a unison of various efforts to effectively overcome the problems that Transgenders face.

 

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Addressing Family Dejection

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It is often that transgenders face great difficulty in seeking family acceptance and the group felt that it would be ideal to implement a two pronged solution to address this issue first.

 

Based on our interviews, a trend that the team deciphered was that some families  use disownment as a form of excuse to threaten Transgendered individuals so that they will reconsider their actions, behavior and of course, their gender identity. While it is not always the case that all Transgenders face family dejection, we feel the purpose of making such a threatening statement is to instill fear and distress among Transgendered individuals. Although using disownment as an excuse may be the most practical solution at that point in time, what some families fail to take into account is the long-term repercussions that Transgenders have to endure for the rest of their lives when they chase them out of their homes. For example, we noticed that our participants shared that in addition to the high barriers in seeking financial assistance and housing application schemes, some of them also began to develop health problems such as depression, high blood pressure and diabetes as a result of being chased out by families.

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Therefore, the group seeks to address this by disseminating the video among a larger audience, in hopes of raising awareness and empathy among families and members of society that Transgenders may become even more vulnerable and helpless. While the group acknowledges that this may be a challenging feat as it entails to increase knowledge, foster greater acceptance and ultimately change the behavior among those who hold a pre-conceived negative impression of Transgenders, we are hopeful that Transgenders can ultimately enjoy a carefree life in the future.  

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For Transgenders who already have been disowned by their families, the team proposes the implementation of a platform where Transgenders are able to seek emotional counselling. Most of our participants shared that they did not receive any form of support upon being disowned or chased out of family homes. We believe that every Transgender should be assisted in their effort to attain the means and opportunities to lead a decent and dignified life. For those who are facing hardships or have been disowned by their families, we hope that this counselling service will help to tide them over a difficult period and improve their emotional well-being.

 

Within the same vein, the group is hoping to seek a future collaboration T Project to exhibit participant-generated photos taken during our project for the public to catch a glimpse of the life stories of Transgenders through visual narratives. Fortunately, Eztelle, T Project’s manager, informed us that there may be an opportunity in the future for us to do so as the shelter is intending to organize an exhibition for the public to gain insight about the Transgendered community.