The gender is not a straight line | Charlie Hobman | TEDxYouth@Frankston

The gender is not a straight line, it's a spectrum. Facebook has more than 71 gender variants. In this talk, Charlie Hobman explores the challenges that trans people have to face, in particular young trans people all over the world. Charlie explains firsthand the oppression felt in growing up identifying himself as female although being man. Charlie recognizes that we're going forward in dealing with LGBTIQA community, but there is always a lot of work to do within schools and the community to bring equality.

Charlie Hobman is an activist for human rights, in particular for LGBTQA community. He is passionate about educating society in the broad spectrum of gender identity. Although he's young, Charlie feels invigorated and ready to do what it takes to affect the lives of LGBTIQA people and ensure that all sexual orientations and gender identities are recognized and accepted appropriately.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Ladies and gentlemen is a common phrase
used to greet large audiences of people,

much like yourself.

But how can 3 words, and only 3 words
be entirely oppressive

towards a whole group of people?

My name is Charlie Hobman,
and today it is my aim to shed light

on that very question,
and many others just like it.

From the moment I was born
I was raised as a female.

But they got it wrong.

I am male, I identify entirely as male,

and I've always been male.

To most people
this is completely confusing.

How is it possible for this person
to go from being Samantha Kate Hobman

to being Charles Francis Hobman?

How is that even possible?

The answer is simpler than you think.

I am female to male transgender.

From a young age I knew I was different.

This sounds incredibly cliche,

but it's also incredibly accurate.

Whilst my sister was inside
playing with dolls,

watching High School Musical,
trying on my mom's wedding dress,

I was outside riding my bike,
climbing trees, falling out of the trees,

catching lizards and whatever I could
get my hands on.

More often than not, I would come inside
with scratches, bruises, grazes,

but I didn't care.

That's how I was expressing myself.

I was happy to express myself in that way.

At this point in time I had no idea

what gender identity
or what gender roles were.

I didn't know what was masculine
or what was feminine.

I was doing what made me happy.

Now I must say, at this point,
that I don't believe gender roles

should be enforced in society,
but at that time,

what I was doing,
was considered masculine.

And as I grew up, it got harder.

I kept to myself because
I felt like I was lying to people

by presenting myself as female.

When I made friends,

I felt I was keeping
my whole life away from them,

because I wasn't ready to admit to myself
or to others, who I really was.

But things have changed.

I came out. I shed that skin
and set fire to the façade.

I came out and haven't looked back since.

I am able to stand before you today
and say, "This is who I am,

and this is who I'm going to be,
this is where I've been,

and this is where I'm going to be next."

So let's talk about technicalities.

First of all, sex, gender identity,
and gender expression

are 3 entirely different things
that overall make up your identity.

Sex is what you hide under your clothes,
your private parts.

Gender identity is what you identify as.

As I've told you, I identify as male.

Gender expression is how you
outwardly express your gender.

So, before I came out I was presenting
myself as female to people.

People would perceive me as female
because I would wear feminine clothing

and present myself in a feminine manner.

Now I present myself in masculine manner,

therefore making
my gender expression masculine.

So these 3 things come together,
to make your gender identity.

There are a few things
that we need to talk about.

A few things everyone needs to know

regardless of whether
you're transgender or not.

First of all, transgender people
have the right

to use whichever bathroom they prefer.

There is no law dictating which bathroom
we can and cannot use.

What do we need to happen?

I am afraid of a lot of things.

I am afraid of going to a workplace
and being discriminated.

I am afraid of telling people who I am.

I'm getting better at it,
but it's still difficult for me.

So how can we spread awareness?

How can we make it more possible
for people to understand and accept

people like me into their community?

Because that's what needs to happen.

I think a good step towards that
is an appropriate representation

in sexual education at schools.

Without it, kids won't understand
or know what being transgender is.

I have come out to so many people
who have turned around and said,

"I don't understand
what you're talking about.

Please explain to me."

And I'll happily explain but it shocks me
how so few people in this country

[do] understand it.

The problem isn't within ourselves,

it's within the sexual education system.

We have the opportunity to teach students
about who we are and what we stand for.

This doesn't just add towards
a more accepting and peaceful community.

This means that people who are questioning
their own gender and their own issues

will be able to stand forward
and get rid of that uncertainty

that I was missing.

I didn't have that opportunity to know
what I was feeling.

I didn't know what it was called.

That uncertainty kept me within my shell
and it kept me hiding away from who I am.

With appropriate representation
in sexual education classes,

people who are questioning their gender
can freely think about it,

because it's something
that people should explore,

whether you identify as transgender
or not you should explore

your gender and gender expression.

Self-discovery is such an important thing
that I don't understand

why it's not enforced more
into our school society.

We've come a long way.

50 years ago I wouldn't be able
to be here now.

I wouldn't be able
to stand in front of you.

As a community we are able
to consolidate, form a group,

bond together to get,
not just as trans people,

but you involved, too.

Us as a community.

We are able to come together and fight
for what we believe in,

we can stand up and say,
"We exist. We have always existed.

And we always will exist.

And there is no way
we can be erased from society."

As "Time" put it,
we're at the transgender tipping point.

We are moving forward
and we are doing it for humanity.

I want to be able to walk down the street.

I want to be able to walk
into a men's bathroom

without being yelled at.

I want equal rights.

I do not want to be oppressed.

How can we do this
if we don't work together?

Us trans people are making a lot of noise.
Which is good.

We are telling people this is who we are.

This is who we authentically are,
something we cannot change,

something that has been wired
into our genetics.

That isn't going to change.

What can change, people's outlook on us,

people's perspective.

People's perspective on gender roles
in general,

like it shouldn't be a thing
for it to be weird

for a man to wear a dress.

It needs to be something
that is cherished and accepted.

I can tell you from my own personal
experience, coming out is really scary.

It can be made a lot easier if accurate
representation in media existed.

The media, up until now,
is mostly comprised -

for the transgender side of media -
is most comprised

of using transgender people
as a satirical device.

They think it's funny.

Using slurs.

Making it into a joke.

That's not what we're about.

We are not here to be laughed at.

We are human beings.

Like I said earlier,
ladies and gentlemen,

is an oppressive term

because gender identity
is not a straight line,

it's not male and female at either end.

It is a whole entire spectrum.

There are so many
different gender options.

Facebook alone offers 71 different
gender variants.

A couple of them:

male, female, genderless - which is where
you don't identify as any gender,

or gender fluid - where you can transition
between both male and female

or a third gender.

There are many more but it is something
that people need to learn more about

in order to understand.

It is my goal, and I hope
you will join me on this journey,

to keep moving forward.

In the past century we have come so far
that it is beyond the point

that I'm able to come in front of you

and list all of the things
that have happened

that's been good.

But I can tell you right now,
there's still so much that we can do.

So really, the question is,
when are you going to do it?

(Applause)