Testimonials from transgender people were shocking as I realized they not only face violence from their companions and friends but also experience other challenges ranging from the lack of legal protection to poverty. This group of individuals have been marginalized and hence fail to be protected by the law despite equal rights as citizens of various countries. Social condemnation further contributes to this fact as some communities fail to recognize the transgender community and thus pave the way for discrimination with regards to lack of legal access. Similarly, while the US government may protect their rights, discrimination continues to exist within racial and ethnic groups.
Most transgender women reported that they failed to report their spouses despite continuous counts of physical and mental violence based on the fact that they have experienced negligence and lack of action from the government. Additionally, bias exists among the police force in various ways, which then impacts fear among this population as they lack trust in some individuals. While the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was introduced to ensure the minimization and lack of similar cases as those mentioned above, research and interviews by Papazian and Ball (2017) reveal that there still fails to be available comprehensive non-discrimination protection laws.
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The African American individuals within the group meetings who are identified as women have experienced continuous gender identity discrimination in public accommodations as few states within the US have fully imposed laws to protect against the same. Not only does this lead to challenges with regards to accessing public accommodations but also public amenities such as allowed access to public bathrooms for individuals within the transgender community ( Orgel, 2017) . The lack of protection from the law in these ways has proven to be a disadvantage in other aspects of life as it has led to multiple cases of unemployment, especially for transgender African American individuals.
According to surveys conducted by various scholars, unemployment rates among people of color within the transgender community continues to increase as they were identified to be at 34% ( Orgel, 2017) . This, in turn, translates to poverty as all these individuals continue to earn below the minimum wage hence the unaffordability of daily necessities. Consequently, there is an increasing number of transgender individuals of color, acknowledging homelessness, and facing challenges with regards to healthcare due to their financial status.
Insights gained from immersing myself into this group have caused a dynamic shift with regards to my biases and perception towards life and the group in general. While I previously lacked judgment towards the community and respected their gender identity, these interactions and constant attendance of meetings allowed me to understand and connect with the same. While I may previously have failed to consider their daily challenges and struggles to find love and acceptance in the society, I now see that my heart goes out to the marginalized groups as they experience physical, mental and psychological torture that none should experience.
I later learned that these forms of challenges are not only faced by the adults but also children within the community who lack understanding among their peers and hence encounter bullying and in turn, social withdrawal — as a professional in the field of psychology, gaining such heart-rending insights will allow me to effectively keep my internal biases at bay while I strive to help and work with individuals from the transgender community ( Mercier, Harold, Johnson & Pond, 2016) . My expertise will allow me to help individuals facing social stigma and harassment, which may then give rise to various ethical issues.
When counseling these individuals, I must ensure confidentiality and beneficence with regards to being sensitive and accommodative of the life experience of these individuals. Challenges may arise when my opinions differ, and I may fail to appreciate their choices fully and hence, the lack of competence as a professional mental health provider ( Mercier et al., 2016) . Nevertheless, cultural sensitivity training has offered insight and will continue to inform me of numerous aspects of similar groups of marginalized individuals within the society to impact a sense of understanding among my colleagues and me while consequently allowing us to create social awareness regarding the issues.
I believe that further polishing of my skills will ensure my competence as time and experience will continue to allow me to make informed decisions based on a neutral perspective when handling a future transgender client. It is consequently vital for me to understand how my transgender or gender non-conforming clients identify to avoid confusion as individual preferences differ. During the encounters with the transgender community, I learned that while some may desire surgical and hormonal treatment, others may prefer a non-binary gender expression.
This experience has impacted a wealth of knowledge upon me, not only regarding such groups but also how to remain open-minded throughout these encounters. This has therefore increased my sensitivity towards groups within the society that are sidelined based on the lack of information and understanding regarding their lives and preferences as well as identities ( McCann & Sharek, 2016) . Furthermore, understanding the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation resolved numerous internal conflicts and biases, which may have affected the lens through which I viewed my clients' situations and experiences.
References
McCann, E., & Sharek, D. (2016). Mental health needs of people who identify as transgender: A review of the literature. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing , 30 (2), 280-285.
Mercier, L., Harold, R., Johnson, K., & Pond, D. (2016). LGBT family camp as cultural immersion for social work students. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work , 21 (1), 97-115.
Orgel, H. (2017). Improving LGBT Cultural Competence in Nursing Students: An Integrative Review. ABNF Journal , 28 (1).
Papazian, N., & Ball, M. (2016). Intimate-partner violence within the Queensland transgender community: Barriers to accessing services and seeking help. In Queering criminology (pp. 229-247). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
