Discrimination of Transsexuals For many years, members of the gay, lesbian and transgender communities have been persecuted because of their sexual orientation. The group that will be the focused on in this essay is transsexuals. Transgender is a term that describes transvestites and transsexuals, which is gender identification not sexual orientation. Transgender are individuals whose gender identities or gender expressions contrast with traditional social norms and expectations. Gender identity refers to a person’s sub-conscious sex or their internal sense of being male or female. Gender expression refers to the way a person shows their gender identity to others through their behavior. Transgender individuals should be allowed to have a physical transformation to define their gender as man or woman without having to have their morals and values challenged by others. One can see that with the advancement in technology, there are many changes that will be taking place that will challenge our morals and values. For example, with genetic engineering people will be able to design their own babies through cloning. If this option is made possible, parents will have the ability to create a child with superior intelligence and physical strength. How would this affect the basic value of what it means to be human? The Dalai Lama suggests, “We must be willing to be revolted when science, or for that matter any human activity, crosses the line of human decency” (83). With regards to transsexuals, technology has given them the ability to change their gender from male to female or vice versa if they choose to. Is it crossing the line of human decency when a transgender chooses to undergo a physical transformation? The answer to this question is that one’s ethics represent their judgments of what is right or wrong, but one’s values will influence what he or she think is ethical. With this in mind, it is the assumption that normally gender is determined at birth and it is
