WHY are You Afraid of Me???
Today is Transgender Day of Visibility. I took a “Day for Me’ and got a tattoo and celebrated myself, others like me, and all the ones who are no longer with us…as well as all the ones who will come after me.
I really don’t understand why so many people in the world fear me…and people like me. What is a transgender person going to do to you? How many times has a transgender person shown up in the news, harming anyone — other than themselves (sadly)?
If you’re one of those people who fear me and others like me, this is for you. Keep reading. Maybe, just maybe you might change your mind. Or maybe it will at least open a little.
How can I possibly convince you that you shouldn’t fear me?
How can I convince you that I deserve to exist just as much as you or anyone else does?
How can I get you to see that I only want the same things you do? Love, happiness, a roof over my head, a family, good health, a good job, time spent with friends, good music, good food, travel, peace, a safe, accepting world to live in…you know — all those things that most people want?
Imagine for just one moment how it would feel to know that your rights, or your child’s rights, or your parents’ rights were in the hands of politicians — politicians like Lindsay Graham, people who viewed you or the ones you love as a threat to them. Just stop for a moment and really imagine how that would feel.
Why do politicians like Lindsay Graham get to decide how my life will be shaped through policy and whether I have the same rights as other human beings in this country? Will he or others like him take responsibility for the my life and the lives of those they refuse to protect??? Of course not, but they’re pro-life…or they are until it comes to members of the LGBTQIA community.
Some transgender people are able to live with a small degree of safety — a very small degree, but only in some parts of the country. Let’s not even begin to discuss how it feels for those who live in places like Alabama, Mississippi, the Bible Belt.
Even places like Atlanta where there are protections for LGBTQ people, the Georgia legislature is trying to restrict transgender youth from participating in sports, based on their sex assigned at birth, and prevent them from any gender-affirming healthcare.
It’s almost like we have some protection for a little while, and the next day or week or month or year…or whenever we get a super conservative president (I won’t name names here), our rights can be reversed — without any concern at all for us, our families, friends and allies.
Imagine planning a trip and wondering about access to a caring, considerate doctor who understands transgender healthcare in that state, or wondering if you might get attacked if you use a public restroom. Imagine being afraid to go through airport security, for fear that you might be called out, patted down and questioned about “what’s in your pants”.
Many of our Republican lawmakers look at the Equality Act as something that attacks religious freedom. They say they look at it as an attack on women’s rights. We all know they could care less about the rights of women in this country.
Did you know that 44 transgender people were killed in the United States in 2020 — making it the worst year on record for transphobic violence??? And that number — those are just the ones that were reported.
These deaths are just a part of a continued epidemic of homicides against trans and nonconforming communities around the world. 98% of victims included in the Transrespect Versus Transphobia Worldwide (TvT) report were trans women and 62% were sex workers. An estimated 79% of those killed in the U.S. were trans people of color.
Transgender people are denied employment, housing, and healthcare on a regular basis — in some areas more than others.
Again, I ask, “Why am I a threat to you??? Why are others like me a threat to you???” I cannot wrap my head around that. I just don’t understand.
Do you think that if you respect my rights, that you will lose some of your rights? That’s not how this works. I promise you.
Transgender people are everywhere — they’re members of your family (unless you’ve now decided to ostracize them for being who they truly are), they’re your colleagues, your neighbors, your doctors and nurses, your professors. We are here and we want to live in harmony with everyone else in the world. Believe me…equality never hurt anyone.
I think I’ll need to finish this post later. Starting to get upset and I don’t need that right now.
More to come.
Liam
