Transgender remembrance day

It sucks we live in a country where we need a day like this, but trans people seem to still live in shadows even in the lgbt community. You are all loved though. Hugs*

Thank you deeply, Maggie, for posting this. We definitely need to raise awareness and let the LGBTQ+ know they are loved. We need to embrace them with compassion, even if we may not understand what they are going through, they deserve all the peace and respect in the world.

My heart is with you all, now and always <3

No matter what sexuality, race, disability.. a person should be loved.

Transgender remembrance day

^^

what does that mean exactly?? Remembrance to me means that someone has done something honourable for their country and should be remembered for it...have the transgender community done anything notable that would warrant a "remembrance" celebration???

Remembrance as in memorial, remembering all those who were murdered for being transgender.

Wikipedia says on average, one transgendered person is murdered every 3 days.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unlawfully_killed_transgender_people

It might actually be more frequent or higher, since countries like India and Pakistan don't have reliable reporting.

Intolerance toward transgender is likely greater than against other groups in the community. Remembrance is appropriate IMO.

I don't personally have any transgender friends, but over the years, I've tried to educate myself as it went beyond simple curiosity. I wasn't content anymore with just saying, "Well although I'm not always comfortable in my own skin, I've never wanted to be another gender." I wanted to try to understand at least some of their struggle and mostly be an active listener to their story. I frequent Youtube a lot and when I started my own channel, I started commenting and finding brave voices in the LGBTQ+ community. There are SO many amazing channels dedicated solely to breaking myths and offering up ways to show compassion, even in the simple ways of use of pronouns.

I also started to see why these people fear. That how they feel and what they believe to be true, while it may be something we've never experienced, is completely valid to them and needs to be recognized by others. I also learned about other genders and read about real-life stories where the person is agender, genderfluid (ex: Ruby Rose), etc. It opened my eyes up because for years I believe I had been invalidating these people. Simply speaking, I was content with the principles in my Church that voice time and time again that: God doesn't make mistakes. While there IS empathy in my Church and I believe leaders like Pope Francis are trying to lead in examples of empathy, I still wanted more support for those who are so easily shunned. I still believe God doesn't make mistakes but that does not mean (IMO) it automatically makes this person a sinner if they go through with a surgery. It is the question of, who am I to judge? My soul aches just knowing these people go through persecution. To know how much a surgery costs. How much money and how many years it can take for this journey.

I thought it was my "job" when Caitlin Jenner transitioned to call her a "him" as an act of, oh I don't know, defiance. Basically shutting down any reality that transgender people DO exist and fight daily battles of self-worth and acceptance. That was clearly my intolerance speaking for me, trying to persuade me that people who were different than me or people I'd known didn't deserve the chance to be heard.

I totally stand with the LGBTQ+ community now, and I never want to go back to "hushing" them. Maybe I never would have heard of the discrimination, bullying and deaths if I had continued to say they weren't worthy of being heard. Because for so long, others had expressed ideas that it was "all in their head" and it was just a sad state of mind to be in. I want another person to be happy, at the end of the day. I want them to be able to embrace themselves and live past any regrets or doubts they've had. If they are seeking out their identity, kudos and love to them.

I began to find more statistics especially when I was becoming more aware of suicide and dealing with my own past suicidal thoughts. The risk is so high, it's scary. The following info is from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Williams Institute, from last year. 41% of the transgender community attempt suicide at some time in their lives, in contrast to 4.6% of the general public.

This is why more faces need to be shown, faces of those who are transgender and how they are living despite any attacks on their dignity. This is why I'm thankful for hotlines and any type of lifeline that will (ideally) not hold judgements against this community. But we can't rely solely on that. We have to be active and aware of our words and how we treat others.

I have a few LGBTQ friends and I wouldn't change them for quids. My thoughts on holding a remembrance day is that perhaps we are giving them exactly what they DON'T want....a label. Just my thoughts.

Hmm, interesting point. I can see it from that perspective as those who really want to just be treated as HUMAN, instead of so many labels that tend to divide... I generally go by not being obsessed or defined by labels, but if you are transgender, letting people know this does not make you less human.

Sometimes I think we can all be guilty of labelling ourselves without realising we're doing so and, in the process it becomes the norm to label others...

<3

You'll have to forgive me when I say I don't believe in Gay rights, affirmative action, or civil rights. but we live in a hypocritical world where people are quick to spout all men are created equal, and refuse to prove it. Those things should never have had to have been fought for in the first place. They shouldn't even be a question. We need them put into place because we are sad examples of life.

Labels. Labels are alarmingly complicated. This reminds me of a discussion on Pantsuit Nation recently to do with colorblindness, as in not "labeling" people as their race or using race as a differentiating factor. Race is a social construct after all. However, a lot white people and people in general use the term "colorblindness," thinking they are promoting post-racism, but:
(1) Colorblindness is offensive because it doesn't recognize that color exists. It exists in several ways. First, we are not living in a post-racism world, so people of color are made very aware of their skin color regularly by the way they are treated. Second, many people are proud of their skin color because it connects them to people in their "racial group" and ancestors who have shared their history and certain life experiences; their oppression and victories. Third, color is representative of diversity. What we seek as progressives is unity, not uniformity. Diversity is what makes us strong. Diversity is what makes us great.
(2) Some people who use the term colorblind are using it to mean they understand and respect each person as a complex individual regardless of color, so they are not really saying, "I think we're all the same," but "we are all humans and deserve equal rights and respect." The problem of course is color matters, whether you think it should or does or not, it does matter for the reasons listed in (1). If we want to make everyone feel equally included, it's important we avoid using terms/expressions that make people feel alienated or like they aren't being seen.
^
This is summarized from a much longer post I made in Pantsuit Nation, but I think it fits the discussion of labels and whether attention should or should not be drawn to the LGBTQ community. Of course I'm not part of this community, so I can't speak for them. My point is I understand the need for a transgender remembrance day and I understand why labels exist and why getting rid of them or avoiding the use of them doesn't fix underlying problems.

Https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/10155640542156509/
^love this

I love it. Way to go, Ellen. I sure will miss Barack.

Nah the whole trans thing is getting old.

Im not allowed not only at my families Thanksgiving but also not at my top 3 closest friends. Its getting old and im tired of fighting people just for a spot at the table.

TDOR was made because in most of the USA you are more likey to hear of us dead then alive. Its kinda disgusting and id prefer if more time was spent on the ones that are still alive but.... Shit happens.

Everyone is born a human before anything else imo.

Theres not much more to say to that. We are all humans.

I just hope that one day ill be able to live someplace / work someplace without me being an issue.. Its just getting old real fast.

I can't even begin to imagine what that's like :(

"Everyone is born a human before anything else." I love that.