Today, March 31st, is International Transgender Day of Visibility...a day to recognize the unique struggles and discrimination that transgender people face and to celebrate the wonderful people in our lives who faces those struggles in order to be who they are, including the many awesome transgender people who have been and are still part of our community!
Even in this day and age where people are in general more open and accepting, transgender people still face harsh and even deadly discrimination to a point that perhaps no other group faces. They face the risk of being bullied and harassed, of being rejected by their family and friends, and of being targeted just for being who they are. As a result, according to a study
released by Human Rights Campaign last year, nearly 30% of transgender women teens and over half of transgender male teens reported attempting suicide at least once, statistics that should shock and horrify anybody. As it is, in this day and age, it's still a very brave thing to come out as transgender and to pursue the things that will shape their outsides to reflect who they are on the inside, and it's a brave thing support their right to be who they are and to be happy, supported people in the process of doing it.
And it shouldn't be so...I personally feel so lucky to have had so many great transgender people come into our community and into my life and become people that I'm friends with...that I admire, care for, and love. I had actually never met an openly transgender person until after I founded Wintreath, but in the last five years those that I have met have enriched my life just by being the great people that they are. It's a shame that others won't allow themselves to have that experience because of their biases and prejudice, both for the transgender people that need support and acceptance and love just like any other person, but for themselves that they'll never know what they're missing out on. That's why we need a day like today...to show our transgender friends and loved ones that they are loved and supported, and to commit ourselves to opening hearts and minds in support of them when the opportunity arises...to show that they are not alone, and at least when it comes to this community, will never be alone in openly being who they are.
Those are my thoughts, at least...I would love to hear your thoughts as well.
