An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns (Part Three)
Interviewer: Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Numbering: Issue 19.A, Idea: Outliers & Outsiders (Part Fifteen)
Place of Publication: Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Title: In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal
Web Domain: http://www.in-sightjournal.com
Individual Publication Date: January 15, 2019
Issue Publication Date: May 1, 2019
Name of Publisher: In-Sight Publishing
Frequency: Three Times Per Year
Words: 1,636
ISSN 2369-6885
Abstract
Stacey Piercey is the Co-Chair of the Ministry of Status of Women Sub-Committee of Human Rights for CFUW FCFDU and Vice Chair of the National Women’s Liberal Commission for the Liberal Party of Canada. She discusses: opinions about the transgender citizens in Canada by some of the media and some movements; the impacts on transgender youth in Canada in hearing neutral and curiosity-driven news; the impact on transgender youth in Canada in hearing mean-spirited news; moving into 2020 for acceptance of the transgender community; help for transgender individuals moving into the 2020s; and transgender health issues being addressed and respected.
Keywords: Co-Chair, Liberal Party of Canada, Ministry of Status of Women, Stacey Piercey, Vice Chair.
An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns: Co-Chair – Ministry of Status of Women Sub-Committee of Human Rights, CFUW FCFDU; Vice Chair National Women’s Liberal Commission at Liberal Party of Canada | Parti libéral du Canada (Part Three)[1],[2]
*Please see the footnotes, bibliography, and citation style listing after the interview.*
1. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: In the public conversation now, we can observe a wide variety of reactionary, not movements but, outspoken individuals or small coalitions with platforms on the moderate fringe expressing opinions on the transgender community varying degrees of veracity. With or without mentioning individuals or small coalitions, what tend to be the modern expressed opinions coming from them?
Piercey: I see significantly less negativity in the media as I did years ago. Everyday life is pleasant for the most part. There have been changes for the better as of late. I do hear, and it is seldom, a message from those who have concerns, and from those who have an issue with transgender people. It is often one of fear of the unknown or a resistance to change.
They are seldom transgender or are affected by the fact someone transitioned genders. I think you should always be your best self, let alone be afraid to be yourself. I find most people are friendly and efforts are made to be accommodating. Many have gone through the transition process with the knowledge gained. I believe everyone heard about the problems that we encountered, from all the transgender advocates the last several years. It is important to note. This is not a priority in most people’s lives. It was, for a time, in mine.
2. Jacobsen: What seems like the impact on the lives of the young in the transgender community who see or hear the more benign, inquiring, and curiosity-driven opinions expressed in the public sphere?
Piercey: The generation of younger transgender adults that I do encounter. Most have healthy lives; some are open about being transgender, some are not. It isn’t that big of a deal. People are not bound as much by gender roles as I was growing up in the seventies. I changed with the times. I honestly don’t think about gender that much.
I do see more positive media regarding transgender people. That was missing for me to have good role models when I started. There are shows, celebrities, and stories with happy endings now. It is not all doom and gloom. I see other transgender people when I am about town, not often, but you do notice when you get served by or pass each other on the street.
3. Jacobsen: What seems like the impact on the lives of the young in the transgender community who see or hear the more aggressive, judgmental, and denialist opinions expressed in the public sphere?
Piercey: It is terrible, I don’t understand why anyone would want to scare or hurt anybody. This kind of rhetoric does tremendous harm. Once you start believing another person’s opinion of you, you lost who you are, your identity or individuality. Imagine living with being judged all the time, discriminated against or harassed. That is not a life and shouldn’t be tolerated by anybody. There is no room for hate. There is no argument if transgender is real or acceptable. It is. Now it is time to help transgender people integrate into everyday society not fight with them.
4. Jacobsen: Moving forward into the 2020s, what would best help the public acceptance of the transgender community?
Piercey: Education is vital. It isn’t difficult to be kind to others. People are people. I never saw transgender people as different. For me, it would have helped to move through the system much quicker. I lost years in comparison back then. My problems are behind me now. I transitioned, and I have a normal life. I get to contribute back to society. The public accepts me. I can take care of myself. I am independent. That is what was important on my journey. I am now on to the next step. Life as a woman, problem solved. That is what the public needs to hear to help acceptance.
5. Jacobsen: Moving forward into the 2020s, what would best help the transition of the trans individuals within the transgender community in coordination with their medical provider?
Piercey: Supports should be in place. Your doctor is one aspect of your life, what about housing, employment, poverty and other issues faced. This is about productive lives and providing the help needed for these individuals to move forward. There are unique challenges that are to be addressed and can no longer be dismissed or misunderstood. Removing the need for advocacy will improve lives.
When opportunities are available for services provided such as surgeries, counselling or other requirements, then you will see less of urgency in the community. Transitioning at an older age, may be rare in the future. It will be diagnosed and monitored earlier. Then like most health decisions, they are made by families or the individual. People may never know about a prolonged period of transitioning, dealing with a stigma or being outside of the system.
6. Jacobsen: What medical and other options are becoming better, more precise, safer, and so on, for the transgender community? Typically, as technology gets better and wider spread, it becomes cheaper and comes with fewer complications.
Piercey: Access to the current medical system will be profound. Forget about new technologies. Transgender health issues are now being addressed and respected. We are all going to learn from each other and over time improve the delivery of services. That is a start.
The excuses of the past about the costs and lack of adequate professionals available with expertise in transgender health will eventually be solved. Most transgender surgeries are the same procedures performed for other reasons. It is not necessary to label transgender health as different. With social acceptance, we can get back to helping people become healthy. If a surgery can help you, and doctors do it all the time, why not help people. Transgender people shouldn’t have to wait five to ten years to get a surgery that others can get in six months for a different reason in a government hospital.
In the past to have my gender change recognized I had to go through the government medical system, and I did. If you went out of the country or had it done by an uncertified medical profession your application to change gender could be rejected. Today, you can change your gender on your identification by filling out a form. The government shouldn’t make life harder for anybody. If someone is living as the opposite sex than they were born in, they get to have a valid id. It is undeniably essential to have proper identification. Changes like this are all relatively new and will help over time.
[1] Co-Chair – Ministry of Status of Women Sub-Committee of Human Rights, CFUW FCFDU; Vice Chair National Women’s Liberal Commission at Liberal Party of Canada | Parti libéral du Canada; Mentor, Canadian Association for Business Economics.
[2] Individual Publication Date: January 15, 2019: http://www.in-sightjournal.com/piercey-three; Full Issue Publication Date: May 1, 2019: https://in-sightjournal.com/insight-issues/.
Appendix II: Citation Style Listing
American Medical Association (AMA): Jacobsen S. An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns (Part Three) [Online].November 2019; 19(A). Available from: http://www.in-sightjournal.com/piercey-three.
American Psychological Association (APA, 6th Edition, 2010): Jacobsen, S.D. (2019, January 15). An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns (Part Three). Retrieved from http://www.in-sightjournal.com/piercey-three.
Brazilian National Standards (ABNT): JACOBSEN, S. An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns (Part Three). In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal. 19.A, November. 2019. <http://www.in-sightjournal.com/piercey-three>.
Chicago/Turabian, Author-Date (16th Edition): Jacobsen, Scott. 2018. “An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns (Part Three).” In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal. 19.A. http://www.in-sightjournal.com/piercey-three.
Chicago/Turabian, Humanities (16th Edition): Jacobsen, Scott “An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns (Part Three).” In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal. 19.A (January 2019). http://www.in-sightjournal.com/piercey-three.
Harvard: Jacobsen, S. 2019, ‘An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns (Part Three)‘, In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, vol. 19.A. Available from: <http://www.in-sightjournal.com/piercey-three>.
Harvard, Australian: Jacobsen, S. 2019, ‘An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns (Part Three)‘, In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, vol. 19.A., http://www.in-sightjournal.com/piercey-three.
Modern Language Association (MLA, 7th Edition, 2009): Scott D. Jacobsen. “An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns (Part Three).” In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal 19.A (2018):January. 2019. Web. <http://www.in-sightjournal.com/piercey-three>.
Vancouver/ICMJE: Jacobsen S. An Interview with Stacey Piercey on the Transgender Canadian Citizens, the Media, and Health Concerns (Part Three) [Internet]. (2019, January; 19(A). Available from: http://www.in-sightjournal.com/piercey-three.
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