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Our trans activism & mutual aid unit opened my eyes to how much the trans community lifts & supports itself. It is a reflection of the strength and grace these beautiful souls possess. Our society could learn an extraordinary amount from the trans community if it would simply lay down its biases. I found it very disheartening how much our society and our government fails trans people every single day. I hope one day very soon trans people will be seen as fellow humans who have the same rights that every cisgender human enjoys freely.

I loved learning about the different trans organizations that exist to help transgender humans, many of which are started and run by trans people. My favorite was the Trans Stitchin’ in Omaha that provides a “closet” of clothing items to the transgender community. I was disappointed in the lack of transgender support organizations in our area when I went in search of one I could help support. One day soon, I hope to rectify that.

This class has challenged me and helped me grow in my thinking and understanding of the transgender community. I will carry this brutiful knowledge with me always and use it to help make our society a safer and more accepting place for the trans community.

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Learning about the discrimination, disrespect, and violence that transgender people experience in our justice system was heartbreaking. Transgender people are humans too and deserve the same respect and dignity that a cisgender white male receives. The resilience of the trans community is inspiring. They way they continue to fight for their rights and how they support each other within the community is beautiful.

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Homelessness in general is looked down upon so much in this country by those who don’t experience it. People are often blamed for being homeless like it is all completely in their control. For many who are homeless, discrimination is a big reason why they don’t have a home. Transgender people are discriminated against on so many fronts that it forces them to poverty and to lack basic housing. Every human has a right to basic housing. It is a foundation upon which the rest of our lives flourish from.

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https://www.facebook.com/gabrielleunionofficial/posts/1804531569700768

I never realized how voting as a trans person could present with so many obstacles. Given that voting is a right afforded to us all, it’s disheartening how many voter identification laws in place make it difficult for a trans person to go vote. Transgender people have every right to vote and have their voices be heard. The right to vote is not strictly for cisgender citizens. It is for all citizens. That right needs to be respected regardless of gender identity or sexuality. 

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As long as discrimination continues, even with anti-discrimination laws in place, trans people will never have the equality in our society that they deserve. The laws are not enough. We need to show support to trans people in our own communities. We need to meet them where they are and help at a personal level.

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We learned so much in this unit! I have actual knowledge of what it means to be intersex for the first time in my life. It really brought home how messed up our gender binary system is. I wish that more of history would be taught beyond the heterosexual, cisgender, predominantly male perspective. Then I would have already known about amazing people like Sylvia Rivera and Lucy Hicks Anderson. Lucy simply lived her life as who she saw herself to be, which to most may not seem anything in need of celebration. Lucy should be celebrated though. She believed in herself and fought for her rights. It’s a fight she should not have had to fight. Sylvia Rivera fought for trans rights even within the LGBTQ+ community. Sylvia’s organization, STAR House is what I admire most about her. She did what she could for those who needed help. STAR created a family for those who had been shut out by their own families. We need more STAR Houses today.

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Peter Cava listed 6 suggestions for participating in trans activism. The one that spoke to me the most is to not simplify things relating to transgender people, but to remember the impact of intersectionality that trans people experience in their lives. They often face discrimination from multiple parts of their identity. As Audre Lorde said, “There is no such things as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.”

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Transgender Health Protections Reversed By Trump Administration

Trump has reversed Obama-era protections that prohibit discrimination in health care based on gender identity. Critics warn the rule could h

Healthcare is one of the eight priorities for trans activism that Peter Cava shared in his article, Activism, Politics, And Organizing. In June of this year, on the fourth anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, the Trump administration announced it would end non discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in the Affordable Care Act. They are removing it on the basis that sex discrimination is only for being male or female, not on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. They are saying it is biologically based only, which is a very heteronormative way of viewing it. According to Cava in his article, “Trans people face massive roadblocks to obtaining quality healthcare.” The removal of this rule would create even more roadblocks for trans people. Thankfully this decision was challenged in court and a federal judge blocked it in August shortly before it was set to go into effect. It is still upsetting and discriminatory that the administration would remove such protections. Trans people are humans too and all humans deserve equal rights.

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I couldn’t pick only one!

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When I saw that Cincinnati passed a law as recently as 1974, I was shocked. The fact that any of these laws still exist is absurd to me. I don’t understand why lawmakers think they can control what we put in our bodies. I wasn’t familiar with how these old laws are used against trans people today. ‘The Walking Whiles Trans Ban Is Stop and Frisk 2.0’ by Karina Piser was eye-opening. Trans people face enough struggles and knowing that they get policed for how they are dressed is very disheartening.

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Lucy Hicks Anderson was a woman before her time! I was surprised that the doctor Lucy’s parents took her to actually told them to raise her as a girl and that her parents chose to do so. That had to have been an enormous gift in Lucy’s life. I admire Lucy. Lucy knew who she was & lived her life true to that. Many people never reach that place in life, much less starting to as a young child. I found it interesting that she was married twice. Divorce was not common in the early 1900’s. Lucy definitely refused to live by society’s rules. Lucy had to be examined when a veneral disease outbreak was linked to her brothel business. The doctor shared with authorities his findings during Lucy’s exam. She and her husband were charged with fraud. In her trial she said, “I defy any doctor in the world to prove that I am not a woman. I have lived, dressed, and acted just what I am-a woman.” Lucy simply wanted to live her life and she did so beautifully.

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I found Susannah Temko’s TED talk to be very interesting. I am familiar with intersex, but never knew it involved more than sexual organs, that it includes other factors of sexual characteristics like hormones and chromosomes. I think Temko’s talk and Malatino’s essay both clearly show why the binary system that exists is a farce. What if intersex is the “true” sex? The world’s entire binary system would need to come crashing down.

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I honestly had to look-up what an erasure poem is. Once I understood I wanted to see if I could do it, step out of my comfort box. I chose my favorite page from the reading and wanted it to make an even stronger statement than the complete text. This is what I came up with. It’s how I see queer people. My hope is one day all humans will see things this way and no heterosexual system of power and control will remain.

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This class was added when I changed up my entire schedule. I am so thankful that I did! I love this class, truly. It has taught me so much in such a short space of time. My thinking has been challenged in a good, growth kind of way. It has shown me how much I still have to learn and I am excited to learn as much as I can. I want to become the best ally advocate I can be. I think my favorite thing from class thus far has been “the Gender book.” I bought my own copy so I’m able to refer to it whenever I need/want to. I am honestly envious of those growing up today. Growing up, gender was tied to your sex. There was no exploring anything because I didn’t know there were things to explore. I have always felt like an outlier in life. It makes me wonder if I had this type of knowledge then, what would’ve changed for me.

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I chose to do the diversity wheel prompt to understand myself more. It made me look at things deeply that I never have before. It also helped me further understand the differences between gender and gender identity. I chose to not add a separate space for body size & stature as I included them in my physical abilities/qualities. Some sections ere easy to complete and others, like gender identity & sexual orientation, took more exploration and thought internally.

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Rain Dove is nonbinary. Nonbinary is not being strictly male or female. In a different video, Rain describes it as simply being I. I chose this video instead because it gives a slow progression visually of being nonbinary. Rain talks about how clothing is not gendered even though our society makes it seem that way. Nonbinary is being who you are in the moment right now. From moment to moment, that may change.