ANTI- TRANSGENDER ATTACKS

Have you noticed the number of attacks against transgender and gender non-conforming people?  politicians, school administrators, medical people, and others are doing everything they can from letting trans and non-conforming people participate in life's activities. It seems to them that we are the source of the country's ills. 

It's nothing new. Minorities are always targeted as scapegoats for the lousy decisions made by elected officials. Many of the ills in the country did not happen overnight. We have always been here and we are not going anywhere. Transgender women are women. Transgender men are men. Period.

TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE-HONORING DECEASED AND LIVING

I attended Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremonies yesterday at the senior center I go to. Celebrated were the lives of 'transcestors' such as Marsha P. Johnson, Storme DeLaverie, Leslie Feinberg,  Christine Jorgensen, and Sylvia Rivera. Also noted were trans activists who are living such as Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (79 years young), Renee Richards, Janet Mock, Jamison Green, M J Rodriquez, Kate Bornstein, and many others.

My names of the 22 known trans women who were murdered this year were read. One of them, Bailey Reeves, was just 17 years old.  The oldest person was 40 years old. The real number of trans people murdered is much higher. Many cases go unreported or the person is often misgendered. Today is the actual date of TDOR. 

Days like today will trigger strong emotions in some folks which I do understand. Take care of yourself first. I pray that someday we won't have to have Trans Day of Remembrance but a day of celebration. 

LUNCH AND LEARN

This past Sunday the Beyond Labels Ministry sponsored a lunch and learn event at the Ft. Washington Church in honor of the Transgender Day Of Visibility. There was a light lunch and a special performance by playwright Mashuq Mushtag Deen. There was a question and answer session at the end. 

I recited a poem at the opening. A wonderful woman asked if there needs to be more conversation about transgender people and issue. I answered yes because the gender spectrum is wide and varied. I shared my story of transition. This is the start of I pray future events like this. 

Genevieve's Gems

I look forward to the day when there will be a transgender day of celebration.  

Edgy About TDOR

The Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony will be held at Sage Center tomorrow at 6:30 PM. I'm am a bit nervous, something that never happened in previous years. Maybe it's because many items will need to be stressed. 

Transgender people have made tremendous strides, as witnessed by the eight transgender people elected to public office in recent elections. However, there is still much misunderstanding and misinformation about who transgender are and the struggles that many face every day. Even in the LGB communities, the misunderstanding is surprising and sad. 

I will be reciting a poem at the ceremony. I'm wanting to convey the sadness of the transgender people lost in 2917 but also the successes we have had. We are not just survivors; we are victors living authentically in a world that wishes to silence us.

TGLBQI and Religious Freedom

I still fail to see how my being transgender interferes with someone's religious freedom. No one has ever given me a valid reason how it does. I never tell people how to worship or who to believe in.

I am a Christian who happens to be transgender. My theology is conservative. I am liberal on most issues. What I see is some religious folk interjecting not only what Christianity is but how one is suppose to present themselves. At times, I get the idea that in order to be truly Christian you have to be married, Republican, white and think exactly like them. 

If they studied the bible deeper they will see that many characters in the scriptures weren't some or any of these 'requirements'. Some of the prophets we know very little or nothing about them. Amos, Obadiah, and some of the apostles came to mind. We know that Peter was married but were any of the other apostles? God uses all kinds of folks. Scriptures gives no mention of people sexuality or gender identification. My question to to anti-TLGBQI faction: does it really matter.      

I cannot stand cultural Christianity in the least. It's divisive, labels people who are different as 'less than', and is very cliquish. Some fundamentalists are trying to tell others how to believe and what to believe. What we have is government and the church in collusion. This is about power and control, not anything to do with spirituality. 

As I have mentioned before, I'm open about my being trans. I'm happy to share with anyone who want to know who and what I'm about. I will also share my faith with anyone who is open. 

Trans People Attacked From All Angles

Transgender people are being attacked from all sides. Everywhere we are being demeaned and humiliated by the government, schools, military, religious institutions, the prison industrial complex and legal and medical sources. Some just want us to disappear. Well, that's not going to happen.

First and foremost, transgender is NOT a choice. We were born this way. To those who use religion and the bible to justify their bias, God knew I would be transgender before I was born. This is His plan for my life AND it is MY journey, not yours. I have been a born again Christian for over forty years and God loves me unconditionally.    

Second, before people demean me, why don't you find out what we are about. Having empathy for others requires that you seeing others from their perspective. I have always been open to sharing my story with others. Then there comes the time when you need to educate yourself. I'm constantly educating myself. 

Third, in spite of all the attacks, threats, and insults we press on.  The infamous president and his minions can do all they want to make us disappear. It's not going to happen. I will NOT be erased by ANYONE!! 

A final thought: to the GLB community, forces are trying everything to erase the accomplishments and existence of trans and non conforming people. Don't think for a second that sometime in the future they won't come for you. It's happened before. I pray that it doesn't happen again.

Transgender Visibility

Today is International Transgender Day Of Visibility. Be out! Be proud of who you are!

TDOR

I went to the Transgender Day Of Remembrance ceremony at the Sage center last night. It was great to pay homage to the transgender people who we lost to violence and suicide. The names of the deceased were read. I recited a poem at the closing. There was song, prayer, remembrances and comaraderie.  

Transgender People In Action

I googled about the Stonewall Riots and saw this. Couldn't let this go.

Quite A Year For Transgender People

It's been quite a year for transgender issues. Many states are at the least discussing transgender protections. Some have even passed measures that will ensure that trans people will have the same protections as other people. There's so much that is being considered, in particular the bathroom and access to locker rooms for transgender athletes.

One aspect of all this is the fear mongering by anti-TGLB forces. How many of these people and the people who support know about transgender people much less met one? I will remind you that the vast majority of pedophiles are heterosexual males. I'm not breaking new ground either. Transgender people are standing up for themselves and that's great. If some major TGLB organizations won't (are you listening, Empire State Pride Agenda?) then we will do it ourselves.

Gender-Ever Present

While I don't think about gender 24/7, its presence lurks over my shoulder. Whenever i'm out and about, seeing genetic women reminds me of the similarities and differences we possess. The differences have become less noticeable but it's still there.  

I've never felt guilty or ashamed about being transgender; I embraced it. I don't feel encumbered by gender norms or society's expectations.I crossed that bridge a long time ago.

It seems that I'm getting bolder as I get older. Recently, my sister and two nieces found out about me being trans. I've been clocked numerous times while out. Other times people see me as another woman. passing is nice but being able to live my life is top priority. 

From time to time I do something not expected of me. I've been viewed as a straight arrow much of my life. Coming out as transgender was totally unexpected until the day it was revealed to me. i crossed a barrier which society frowns upon. 

I hardly talk about gender. I'm willing to answer any questions people may have. Once a barrier is crossed there's no going back. At times I look back and realize that the footprints of my previous life are gone.        

This Year Even More Active

I thought that 2015 was an interesting year for transgender people. It's shaping up that 2016 will be an even more interesting year. The presidential election, the continuing fight for transgender people being treated fairly, trying to keep the gains we have made, and just to live our lives peacefully.

What I would love to see is more trans people from different generations interact with each other. Sharing our unique experiences will create some wonderful friendships. It's important when both group work to achieve the goal of securing rights for trans people.  I also see that we trans people will have to form our own groups if transgender rights are to become a reality. 

With several major organizations cutting back on lobbying or closing shop, once again we are being left behind. I wasn't too surprised by the backlash transgender people received last year because of our increased visibility. Even some in the  LGB community weren't all that happy either and yet we keep marching on.

Interesting Conversation

I went to visit my sister on Christmas Day. We enjoyed a chicken and rib dinner and conversed. The topic of Caitlyn Jenner came up. In my sister's opinion, other people have done more to deserve woman of the year. She also mentioned to me that when she worked a person on her job had transitioned years before. Sis also said that she had no problem with it.

I've shared more about myself with her. Her response has given me the confidence that I will come out to her soon. A year ago I had no desire to share my transgender status with. Now a year later I feel that things have opened up. She's has been dealing with health issues and I've been handling some of her personal affairs. We've talked quite a bit about a lot of things. Now I believe the climate has thawed.      

Post-Thanksgiving Thoughts

I trust that your Thanksgiving holiday was a joyous affair. Mine was a quiet one spent with my wife and son. Didn't overdo it with the turkey but enjoyed it nevertheless. Hard to believe that tomorrow will be December 1st.

This is also a time of reflection for me personally. I'm thankful for many things; family, friends, God, and the history that transgender people are making. There's been some harsh backlash but we keep moving forward and I'm happy to see that.

Never Felt That Way

I've never felt that I was born in the wrong body. Yes, I did feel different but not to the point that it troubled me 24/7.

I never had an inkling that I wasn't masculine nor were any thoughts of anything feminine in my life.  I was your typical male doing things attributed to males. When I began to have these questions in the early 2Ks, I was confused. I never had such thoughts before in my life. Gradually those thoughts grew stronger. Even when it was pointed out to me that I was a cross dresser, I could wrap my mind around the idea that I had feminine thoughts and tendencies. I knew about transsexuals but never even considered going that route.

In the month that I came out as a cross dresser and discovered that I was transgender, the thought of being in the wrong body never crossed my mind. It was time for the feminine side of me to be presented to the world. In the ten plus years since then I've haven't looked back. 

I believe that I'm not completely masculine or feminine. I never hated being male, I just prefer being a woman. I have been blessed many lovely trans-women and trans-men on my journey.I have never been happier in my life. 

Most Active Year Coming Up

It look s like this will be the most active year of my life as a transgender person. The LGBTQI ministry at church is going and planning what we'll do this year. I also signed up for the Social Justice ministry. I'm already involved with a few other activities. 

This year I want to see things DONE! There's too much at stake for trans people and I can't sit idly by and watch all that we've accomplished taken away. Making sure that our trans history is not erased is near and dear to my heart. 

There's a few more activities I'm interested in but I don't want to spread myself too thin. It's funny but since I'm retired I'm busier now than when I was working. 

Bittersweet Few Weeks

The past few weeks have been bittersweet for me. I'm still smarting from the Tamara Dominguez death in Kansas City a few weeks ago. Any death of transgender people is sad but the Dominguez murder really hit me. It was inhuman and criminal. 

A friend of my sister passed also at only forty-eight years young. My sister's health aide's brother passed away at twenty. It's been a weird time to say the least. For a trans woman personal safety is an issue with the increased visibility we face. We talked about this in our discussion group last night.

All wasn't sad though. On Saturday I attended a wedding were two lesbians friends of mine married. It was a wonderful occasion for everyone. Both women had large families in attendance.  This ended the week on a positive note. 

Beyond Labels.

Yesterday the LGBTQI ministry, Beyond Labels, at church met to discuss the upcoming year. Last year the ministry branched out to the community and it has been very good. Two areas I'm interested in is social justice and education. I mentioned that I am interested sharing about transgender topics and what it is to e transgender. 

There is an LGBTQI population in my neighborhood. I have seen a few transgender folk, thought they are not always visible. We want them to know that there's a church which is open and affirming if they want to find a spiritual home. There's a another meeting coming up in few weeks so I'll keep you posted.

Many Differing Viewpoints

As a transgender person the view of the world is much different. I see it from the male viewpoint having been born and socialized as a male. I now see life as it from a woman's point of view. The being hit on, the suggestive comments, and how women are viewed in a patriarchal society.

I also see society's viewpoints about transgender people with a more critical eye. Much of society's views from a lack of knowledge, ignorance, hated, and now having to deal with a topic that was once considered taboo in some circles. As a Christian I understand some of the views the church has and why it has them. Is this confusing? I don't believe so.

I feel that I can discuss this with many differing groups; fundamentalists, confused parents, school officials, lawmakers, colleges, civic groups and other groups. Being prepared for such events is very important. I spoke to an adult education class at church a couple of years back about what it is to be transgender. A young woman who had transitioned also spoke (I have not had GRS). Many eyes were opened and minds made clear.

Having several view points allows me to have empathy for those are fearful and afraid. I can also be an encouragement to my trans brothers and sisters because I have face some of the same things they have or are facing. As trans people we have the advantage of helping those who don't understand. We are people people who want the same things everyone has. This is not special rights this is humanity.