An Analysis of ‘Emotions’ in Transgender through Facial Action Coding System

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Sugyanta Priyadarshini

KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. riro231110@gmail.com, ORCID: 0000-0001-7660-6162

 Volume 12, Number 5, 2020 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v12n5.rioc1s11n6

Abstract

Transgender is a blanket term wrapping individuals whose gender identity, expression or behavior transgresses their biological sex. They are often put on the periphery in terms of finances and the social inclusion. The varying stereotypes of sexual binary recognize the transgenders as socially misfit and economically unaccepted. Emotionally, the transgenders face hardships and lack of social support that push them at the social cross-roads in terms of denial and rejection. Nevertheless, this emotional distress is generally aggravated by the family, friends and acquaintances. This paper examines the emotional binary of Transgenders and parents after their detachment by using an automatically based system on facial gestures called Facial Action Coding system (FACS). Further, their affirmative emotions, such as, Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Contempt, Surprise, and Fear is rated with an intensity rate justifying the strength of the respective emotion.  The FACS analysis of emotion of sadness resulting in depression is evaluated by using 20-item measure of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D).  The paper also explores the facilitative coping experiences after the recognition of the sexual identity by noting down the broad scale of emotional bandwidth. However, facial expressions of transgender respondents and their parents are recorded and are selected based on snow ball sampling. The research work has analyzed emotions of transgender respondents and their parents to know the ground reality of real troubles they come across standing on periphery of the society.

Keywords: Transgender, Parents, FACS, Emotions, Facial expressions, CES-D.