ALLY TRAN (she/her/hers)

Hey, students, educators, or that random user scrollling by, these are several tips and insights on how you can become a better LGBTQ ally. Remember to have an open-minded outlook, respecting each individual's unconventional gender identities and gender presentations. Current focus: We are highlighting the transgender community for National Transgender Rememberance Week. Read more ABOUT ME here: https://allytransallies.tumblr.com/aboutme

[allytransallies]

We pledge to be drug-free, but can you pledge to be an ally?

Here’s a downloadable worksheet. 

[allytransallies]

LGBTQ ALLY EDUCATORS: Know your Student’s RIGHTS

Teachers put down your red pens for a minute. Stop pointing out students’ wrongs and be attentive to their “RIGHTS”! 

This diagram provides you a breakdown of laws that enforces schools to be LGBTQ friendly.

Credit to Community for Accredited Online Schools.

[allytransallies]

FOR THE TEACHER (R)ALLY

Lamda Legal Defense and Education Fund is a nonprofit organization that advocate for the full recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people’s civil rights. The lead campaigns that aim to publicly educate others to build their support for equal rights. You can access their mission statements and read more on what they do on their website. (https://www.lambdalegal.org/about-us)

One of the pages that stood out to me is their “Are an ally?” downloadable PDF that includes very important resources on how not only a person can become a LGBTQ ally, but primarily targets educating school.   

Who can be ally? Anyone. And everyone (should be), a supporter of the LGBTQ community. It begins by taking the steps to make sure LGBTQ issues are heard and acknowledged, and students can have the most influence as allies. Student allies will be positive influences on their peers. Next, the adult allies have to learn. 

According to the 2005 National School Climate survey, conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), “students at schools with higher numbers of supportive faculty and staff members were less likely to report that they felt unsafe and were less likely to miss school because of their sexual orientation or gender expression” (Lamda Legal). 

[allytransallies]

Mrs? Mr? or ?

And for nonbinary teachers? 

“Mx.” pronounced mix or mux. is the answer.

Yes, transgender and gender non-conforming teachers do exist! According to a survey conducted by the NPR, more of the half of the 79 educators from America and Canada reported that they faced some sort of harassment and discrimination in varying degrees.

Some are made fun of their outward appearances, shown disapproval from others based on their gender expression or sexual orientation, or even called by derogatory remarks such as “tranny”. Some of these encountered experiences is unintentional, ignorant, and, really, requires a just a few to vocalize the problematic lack of exposure of the transgender people and their lives that students and adults should be more considerate about. 

The National Center for Transgender Equality lists that only 15 states explicitly prohibit, by law, discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

Okay, gay marriage is legalized, but our country is just not there yet. There still needs to be protocols to keep transgender individuals safe from harm, completely free to be themselves. We need to call to action from everyone. Change the conversation figuratively and literally. Let’s converse about implementing ways to educate the younger generation about LGBTQ+ so we can converse in a manner that is inclusive to individuals of all gender identities and sexual orientations. 

Today, I was introduced as a new teacher-assistant to another classroom. Without asking for my preferred pronouns, it was assumed that I would be identified as “Ms.” Tran. Lucky for them, they got it right, but is disrespectful to other individuals who would rather be called, “Mr.” or “Mx”. 

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/03/18/584596293/transgender-teachers-in-their-own-voices 

https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/education-teaching-degree/lgbtq-youth/

[allytransallies]

Gender-Neutral Pronouns

My students’ grammar lesson for today:

Most of us might be familiar with the use of she/he/they pronouns. Obviously, we’ve been raised and taught how we traditionally use “she/he” to its respective traditionally gender specificities, and for “they”, we’re used to using in the pronoun in the context of classifying multiple people. Sure, we can ignore the confusion altogether and ignore the use of pronouns but that can’t always be the solution; it’ll make conversations awkward!

We’ve all slipped here and there but recently I’ve been looking into a gender-neutral pronoun that could be more appreciated. That is using the pronoun “Ze”. The diagram will help provide you a better understanding of using Ze in sentences.

To educators: There is a lot of flaws in the American education system; it lacks inclusivity. Most of this information is acquired elsewhere and asks for individuals to research and gain exposure to various social issues on their own. I hope if more and more begin adjusting the use of these pronouns into their everyday conversations, or otherwise, even consider its usage, it would be beneficial for individuals to have more diverse ways of identifications they feel best fit them closely.

[allytransallies]

Get your facts STRAIGHT: Gender vs Sex

Today I asked my class: what is the difference between gender and sex?

This is not biology. This should be common sense.

Yes, gender identity is NOT sexual orientation. Don’t forget y’all that even if someone identifies with a particular gender, that does not determine their sexual orientation. 

Here are definitions provided by the web “It’s Pronounced Metrosexual” you need to be informed on.

gender expression (noun): the external display of one’s gender, through a combination of clothing, grooming, demeanor, social behavior, and other factors, generally made sense of on scales of masculinity and femininity. Also referred to as “gender presentation.”

sexual orientation (noun): the type of sexual, romantic, emotional/spiritual attraction one can feel for some others, generally labeled based on the gender relationship between the person and the people they are attracted to. Often confused with sexual preference.

Source:

https://www.itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2013/01/a-comprehensive-list-of-lgbtq-term-definitions/

[allytransallies]

I am ALLYson

[allytransallies]

🕯️🖤

Today, my classroom and I held a moment of silence to mourn our lost angels.

Never forgotten, Always Remembered...

Brianna “BB” Hill  Itali Marlowe Ja’Leyah-Jamar Bee Love Slater Bailey Reeves Tracy Single Bubba Walker Pebbles La Dime Doe Kiki Fantroy Denali Berries Stuckey Brooklyn Lindsey Zoe Spears Chanel Scurlock Chynal Lindsey Paris Cameron Michelle “Tamika” Washington Muhlaysia Booker Claire Legato Ashanti Carmon Jazzaline Ware Dana Martin Layleen Polanco Johana “Joa” Medina Leon

Indivdually hyperlinked to a memorial page on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Please consider take a moment to read on the severity of the violence against the Transgender Community in 2019: https://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-transgender-community-in-2019

[allytransallies]

I found this infographic and shared with my students. 

The Trans Murder Monitoring Report, which tracks members of the Transgender community killed by violence, found that there were 331 murders of trans and gender-diverse people in the last year. 

331.

Many more deaths go unreported. 

No one should have to live in fear or face the risk of violence for wanting to be what you are. 

[allytransallies]

Transgender Remembrance Day (11.20)

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

"Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people -- sometimes in the most brutal ways possible -- it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice."

- Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith

In 1998, Rita Hester, a transgender woman was killed, which was the root cause for dedicating a Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) to honor Hester and in future years, commemorate all transgender angels we have lost to violence. 

[allytransallies]

In Honor of #TransWeek

I am participating in GLAAD’s #TransLoveStories to highlight a love story I came across in 2019. 

This is Chella Man and MaryV Benoit, the inseparable couple that seen each others’ pivotal highs and lows in a span of 2 years and a half. And they share every step of their personal stories to the world on their social media to be a model representation for those who resonate with their day-to-day challenges.

Chella and MaryV first met at Parsons The New School, a university in New York they both attend. The biggest tip they share in their “Being in a Relationship with Someone Transitioning” is how communication plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy relationship. I agree; it is not only effective in intimate relationships but in all types of connections you form. One example between the couple is understanding what will best make the other comfortable presently, emotionally and physically. 

That is, in 2017, Chella Man received top surgery to achieve a masculine appearance that will lessen the body (and gender) dysphoria he has felt since his younger days. Fast forward, post-op accompanied by weekly testosterone shots allows him to “stand with ease”. MaryV, his family members, along with a supportive network make the transitioning process a meaningful and enlightening experience to embrace newfound confidence, simply put, be in his own skin. 

“Being born into this identity and this body, it’s not like you want to political or you want to face hate, or you want to speak up about certain issues”, Chella proclaims, “But because this is who you are, you are forced to because your entire existence is going against what the normal can be.”

Chella, of Chinese and Jewish descent, genderqueer, and deaf, is actively calling out society to pursue change. He documents navigating life being in the queer minority not at all easy, and people who are not affected are not empathetic or inclusive as they should be. 

Everyone, really, just include interpreters at your events or subtitles! 

MaryV every day “feels shameful that she sometimes forgets to sign before bed after Chella has taken out his cochlear transplant or how she could never fully understand what being deaf is like, even if she wore headphones all day.”

It’s the deep connection and consideration between Chella Man and MarV Benoit that makes a sweet love story that is not only an exemplification of what a perfect couple should be but generally how anyone should educate, respect, and appreciate individuals’ identities.

Sources:

https://www.instagram.com/chellaman/

https://www.them.us/story/man-made-top-surgery-changed-my-life

https://cripplemagazine.com/speaking-with-chella-man-and-maryv-benoit-about-love-life-identity/

https://www.hearinglikeme.com/who-is-the-deaf-activist-chella-man/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa1vUXV2WMRobPo-ZfEeRhg

https://www.brokegirlmagazine.com/couple-shares-love-story-educates-others-queer-issues/

[allytransallies]

Hey, your favorite Youtuber, Tyler Oakley, had a collab with TV show host and transgender rights activist, Janet Mock!

To start off the month of Transgender Remebrance, please go watch this video linked.  

Janet tells us a few ways on how to be a better ally to trans people:

1. Realize that all of us have our own gender identities and sexual orientations that we all come to that.

2. We should not expect people to come out to them or explain themselves.

3. Respect people’s privacy.

4. Have some kind of tact and be respectful in the sense of, don’t ask people about their bodies, medical history.

“Recognize people’s body’s are their own. They’re not there to satiate or to satisfy our grandest curiosities.”

Every day, we all are quick to make assumptions about other people just based on external appearance alone. It’s the way our brain works automatically, making those judgments. Attitudes can be changed if we make the conscious effort to keep an open mind and become informed about trans lives and understand how to be respectful of a person’s gender identities/ expression and sexual orientations.

Please support her newly released autobiography, “Surpassing Certainty” available at your local bookstore.