Sometimes, the biggest mistakes come from the most intelligent of individuals.

Take my high school physics teacher. He received a Ph.D. from Berkeley, worked under a Nobel Prize winning physicist and was one of the few people I would ever label a genius. He was prone to tangents in class and one Tuesday morning in 2002 was no exception. During a discussion of art, sex and quanta, someone raised his hand and asked, "Hey Steve, what do you think of sex changes?"

"There is only one reason anyone would ever get a sex change: boredom."

While his comment was funny and fairly harmless, it stems from the same kind of ignorance that plagues the transgender community. And that ignorance is getting to be a lot more noticeable.

This past year, Largo, Fla., city manager Steve Stanton informed city commissioners of his intent to undergo a sex change operation. As he explained later, he had thoughts of being a woman since the age of seven, but finally decided in late 2006 to have gender reassignment surgery. He informed a small group of family and co-workers, collaborating with them to try to reveal this decision in an honest and open way. However, the media got to it first, and what followed was a firestorm of controversy.

While Mr. Stanton (now known as Susan Stanton) defended the decision and around 70 supporters came out to stand by him, Mr. Stanton was eventually fired. City commissioners said his gender switch had nothing to do with his termination, and many who spoke against Mr. Stanton cited a lack of trust. One city commissioner said his decision was borne out of selfishness while another said, "I find that I can no longer trust his judgment."

The confusion and pain that came out of the Stanton situation is a common reaction. While we have a burgeoning representation and greater understanding of gay and lesbian lifestyles in today's media, transgender issues are often seen as disturbing, strange situations. Often, people explain these people away as freaks, no more than transvestites who took it a step further. Part of the reason behind this is because there is no real consensus about what exactly it means to be transgender.

First let's dispel common misconceptions: Identifying as transgender has nothing to do with sexual orientation. Someone who is transgender usually feels that his or her assigned gender, regardless of actual chromosomal makeup, is incorrect. For instance, an individual born as a physical male may feel as though he is female. In some cases, the individual undergoes surgery to have the physical sex match the gender identity, or begins living the lifestyle without the physical change. In Ms. Stanton's case, what people needed to understand was that he wasn't trying to become a different person; she was simply trying to be himself.

But there are far more who live their lives under the supposed norms of society in direct opposition to their feelings. This is usually because, as Ms. Stanton's case shows, people seem to see gender identity as synonymous with sex. What they need to understand is this is not a case of an individual simply deciding he or she wants to be a different gender. Instead, his or her gender is self-defined, not subject to physical appearance.

Unfortunately, people are unlikely to accept this idea since medical and psychological experts can't seem to agree on the topic either. Currently, "gender identity disorder" characterizes the desire for cross-sexuality as a psychological problem, one that must clinically impair social and occupational functioning. In these cases, psychologists often treat this "disorder" as one that fades with proper intervention by parents, peers and guidance by society. They note that most of these people eventually identify as bisexual or homosexual.

However, while it's often popular to credit scientific thought as being the final authority on these situations, previous assessments of gender and sexuality matters have proven wrong in the recent past. Up until the '70s, homosexuality was still classified as a mental illness. I'm sure some people still see it that way, but the generally accepted principle is that the experts got it wrong.

And they have it wrong in this case. Anthropological and historical studies have given enough examples of transsexuals and institutionalized transgender roles to make the case that this is not a mental illness — it's breaking a social norm. In what is now America and Canada, American Indian tribes recognized multiple genders, breaking the association between gender and sexual characteristics. While I can understand the problem some people have with sexual reassignment, because it changes what some would say is a "God-given trait," the normal roles associated with males and females differs with each societal situation. There is a reason Americans often criticize advertisements and the media's depiction of men and women — masculinity and femininity is in the eye of the beholder.

However, the immense resistance to this idea comes from the lack of information and media coverage. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act supposed to protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity may now cut transgender individuals out of the loop. While the College Democrats addressed this bill a few weeks ago, Wisconsin still does not protect individuals from discrimination on the basis of gender identity. It's a standard that must be instituted, not just in this state, but also across the nation.

While some may scoff at the issue and treat it as too small a minority to address, realize that people have been killed for this. Just last year, a Madison transgender resident was murdered. For those paying attention two weeks ago, posters lined Bascom Hill detailing other victims of transgender hate crimes. Such discrimination may not be well known, but it can be deadly — especially when legislators and citizens don't speak up on their behalf.

Perhaps it will take more education, scientific consensus or media exposure. However, ignorance can be remedied. The same teacher who made the comment about sex changes also had a bit of wisdom afterward. "People always relegate things to lower status by saying 'Oh, that's ridiculous' or 'That's stupid.' But it's only because they don't really understand it."

One can only hope.

Jason Smathers ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in history and journalism.