Poem

We are analyzed and marginalized. We are hatred, breated, and frustrated. We cry, sigh, and die. And yet we maintain our pride. Let no one define who you are. Be a shining star. Be who you are. ~Genevieve

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

You are a shining star.
Be proud of who you are.

Genevieve

Am Writing Poems

I have been writing much poetry over the past several weeks. It is dealing with such topics as nature, struggle, hopelessness, gender, and redemption. I have had much fun writing poems. I write at least two poems a day.

It was in January that I decide to try my hand at poetry. I have been writing essays, commentaries, and short stories. Trying another genre is envigorating and challenging (which I need from time to time). I didn't know that I had this capacity in me to write poetry. I am working on a chapbook that I will work on publishing sometime in April.

~Genevieve

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Wherever a journey takes me, there I am.

~Genevieve

Nature and Transgender

I am a nature lover. I enjoy being out in the forest among the trees ponds, and animals. Part of me is attuned to the land, having Native-American ancestry. Even as a child I had the sense that there was something special about nature.

I look at gender the same way. Transgender is a natural part of me and millions of others. there are those forces who wish to destroy both nature and the lives of transgender people. There are many metaphors here at play. I enjoy both of them.

~Genevieve

Poets' Suicides Remind Me Of Our Plight

I have been reading the poetry of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. These women wrote some graphic and metaphorical poems. Both of these women also battled depression. They ended their lives by their own hand.

As I cogitated over these women, I thought about the many transgender women who take their own lives because of depression, discrimination, and not being able to live their lives. Plath and Sexton were able to live their lives freely. The lives of transgender people are negotiated through votes, gender rigidity, and the idea that we merely exist. I find this very appalling.

Suicide is one issue that concerns me because it leaves many unanswered questions. Family and friends lose sometone that cares about them. Many talents and gifts are lost also. Depression and suicide is high in LGBT community. Transgender people have an even higher suicide rate.

It is time that the whole LGBT community work together for each other. The LGB's have left behind the Ts in some case because they believe that legislation important to them will be passed. Perhaps it will but at who's expense? Each group has different issues but we should support one another.

~Genevieve

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.

~Henry Ward Beecher

Trans Issues

I have been trying to keep up with the news affecting trans people. There's a lot happening but to keep up with all is a daunting task. I will try and focus on a few things. Passing trans inclusive bills is one. The bill in Maryland (HB235) seems to be lacking as far as transgender people not being discriminated against in public accomodations. It's not just the bathroom, as some our foes will point out. It's trying on clothing in a store, or eating in a resaurant, or receiving treatment in a hospital. This part needs to be rectified.

I'm seeking to see something happen here in New York. Seems trans issues have been put on the back burner in some cases.

I am writing some poems about my transgender experiences. I hope to put them all in a chapbook. No title as of yet. I have another one in mind but that's for a future time.

~Genevieve

GENEVIEVE'S GEMS

Don't find fault, find a remedy.

~Henry Ford

Ancestors

I was reading an obituary of an activist in the Chicago area on Helen Boyd's website (www.myhusbandbetty.com) this morning. The obit reminded me of the many people who paved the way for what we have today. They did in a time when it could cost them everything.

I could not help thinking about Tyra Hunter. Who is Tyra Hunter? In 1995, Ms. Hunter was in an auto accident in Washington DC. The medical staff that was working on her stopped treatment upon seeing that she was a transgender woman. As a result, Tyra died of her injuries. I first read this story a short time after I came out in 2005. To this day this incident still galls me.

I am thankful for my transgender sisters and brethren who blazed a trail so we could enjoy the fruits of their labors. Things are better but we still have a long way to go. Sylvia Rivera is another transgender woman who was at the forefront of the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village in 1969. I am so proud of my African-American brothers and sisters who in 1965 staged at sit-in at Dewey's lunch counter in Philadelphia to protest their second class treatment.

I feel saddened a little about the losses incurred though violence and suicide. Inwill always be indebted to them. We must blaze a trail for future transgender men and women. Whatever I do for the transgender community is in honor of Tyra Hunter. It's good sometimes to remember where we came from.

~Genevieve

The first year tht I was living in my new identity was one of growth and discovery. I attended support group meetings to meet other transgender people and gather information on what transgender is all about.

There were questions and struggles. There was self doubt because I was embarking on a course not of my own design. At times I was afraid. I worried about being attacked or ridiculed in public. Yet the further I journeyed the more confident I become.

I'll never forget that warm August day in 2006 when I had an epiphany. I was strolling in the park along the river. A feeling of contentment swept through me. I was now comfortable as a transgender woman.

I am truly amazed when I read stories of many transgender people on the forums. They have displayed courage and resilence in the face of hatred and bigotry. Most of all, I applaud them for choosing to be authentic.

~Genevieve