#stayvisible2019

[stayvisible]

Rachel Crandall-Crocker created the Transgender Day of Visibility in 2009. She is very busy planning for the 10-year anniversary of the international celebration. CW: suicidal ideation. * "I tried to come out to my parents in the 1960s. [They] told me that when I said I was really a girl, that was the dirtiest thing I could ever say. So I grew up believing I was the dirtiest thing in the world." * “I always wanted to kill myself when I was growing up. I wish I had examples of people like me that were . . . living happy and meaningful lives. There were no examples [of happy trans people] 20 years ago and that's another reason why I created visibility day - I wanted to create more role models. When I was growing up I had no hope. I want [trans people] to see, by watching me or reading about me, that if things worked out for me they will work out for them. “[When I came out, my relationships with my parents and my wife fell apart. I lost my job. Do I ever regret coming out?] No. Even in the lowest points of that. My therapist told me that if I did not come out I would probably kill myself. “My wife divorced me. I haven't seen her in over 20 years. or heard from her, or heard about her. I loved her so much. The feelings are still there and they're never going to go away. I don't know if she ever stopped loving me. Just because she divorced me, that doesn't mean she stopped loving me." * “I created the very first transgender helpline almost 20 years ago. I've had conversations on that that really break my heart. People who don't want to be homeless. People who want to find lodgings. In so many places there's only lodging for trans youth and I have to tell people, "I'm sorry, I'm not aware of any." “I've had people realize while talking to me that the only option is to be homeless. “I think some people don't think trans adults need protecting, however, we really do. It's not really brought to the forefront. People say, “Well, there's always shelters,” but there's not always shelters if they won't even accept us." * “One thing I want to emphasize is that anybody can be an activist. It doesn't matter if they're not fluent - I'm not completely fluent! We need our allies! It really won't work if it's only us. It needs to be people who aren’t [trans] who loudly say, “Hey, even though I'm not trans, I say things have to happen!” I'm leading a big rally here in Michigan [on visibility day] and we don't know if we're going to have any protesters or not. We might. [We can’t be protected from protestors.] A lot of trans people have been harassed by police. If we could have hundreds and hundreds of cis people there to drown out the protesters, it’d be incredible! However, I don't know if that will actually happen yet." * “I want to role model that people do not have to have an easy life to have a wonderful life. “That's exactly why I created visibility day - so people would make contacts and resources that they can use all year round. I didn't create visibility day for only one day a year. I created it so we would have contacts and resources every single day of the year. “The more we fight for our rights and the more that we are visible, the better the future will be.” -Rachel Crandall-Crocker Follow this blog for more interviews with significant and famous members of the transgender community!

[stayvisible]

“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us. Silence = Death.” -Marsha P. Johnson Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were on the front lines of the fight for trans rights from as early as the 1960s when the movement was just beginning to gain traction. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world: one year after the riots the first gay pride parades were held. In 2001, Sylvia Rivera spoke at a celebration of LGBT Pride month, in commemoration of the Stonewall riots of 1969 about the plight of transgender people since Stonewall: **** “In the Civil Rights movement, in the war movement, in the women’s movement, we were still outcasts. The only reason they tolerated the transgender community in some of these movements was because we were gung-ho, we were front liners. We didn’t take no sh– from nobody. We had nothing to lose. You all had rights. We had nothing to lose. I’ll be the first one to step on any organization, any politician’s toes if I have to, to get the rights for my community. ”[On the night of Stonewall], you had the chorus line of street queens kicking up their heels, singing their famous little anthem that up to today still lives on, “We are the Stonewall girls/ we wear our hair in curls/ we wear our dungarees/ above our nelly knees/ we show our pubic hairs,” and so on and so forth. “We were determined that evening that we were going to be a liberated, free community, which we did acquire that. Actually, I’ll change the ‘we’: You have acquired your liberation, your freedom, from that night. But I will struggle til the day I die and my main struggle right now is that my community will seek the rights that are justly ours. Gay liberation but transgender nothing! Yes, I hold a lot of anger. But I have that right. I have that right to have that anger. "When we were petitioning for the Gay Rights Bill, there was only one person that was arrested. That was me. Because I had the guts to go into the Times Square area on 42nd Street and petition the people to sign that petition. And the only reason I did it was because that bill did include the transgender community. They have a little backroom deal with these politicians: "You take them out, we’ll pass the bill.” So, what did nice conservative gay white men do? They sell a community that liberated them down the river … As badly as I knew this community needed that bill, I didn’t feel it was justified for them to have it on my sweat and tears, or from my back. “But remember that as you celebrate this whole month, of how you are liberated. And I feel so sorry for those that are not able to read the history of the Stonewall around the world. And we have to blame once again all the publishers and whatnot. Because the only way that you’re going to learn the history, especially if you’re far away and just coming out, is to be able to pick up a book and read about the history of the Stonewall and how you were liberated. But it’s a shame that it has taken thirty-two years for people to finally realize how much we have given to you, to realize the history of the trans involvement in this movement. And in that note, I hope to see yous when I send out the e-mails to you, and I hope you pass that on. I once again wish yous all a very happy gay pride day but also think about us.” **** Marsha P Johnson, whose middle name famously stands for “Pay It No Mind” was a radical, visionary activist, an energized, avant-garde performer, a muse for artists and musicians, and an inspiring leader and organizer within civil, gay, trans, and sex workers rights’ movements. She went on to co-found STAR, with Silvia Rivera; a space for trans people of color who had been living on the streets to take shelter. She and Rivera were known for sneaking their friends off the streets and into their hotel rooms, often up to fifty people at a time. Sadly, at the age of 46, on July 6, 1992, Marsha’s body was found in the Hudson River off the West Village Piers. The police ruled she had committed suicide despite claims from her friends and other members of the local community that she was not suicidal. Twenty-five years later, Victoria Cruz, a crime victim advocate of the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) re-opened the case. Johnson’s story is featured in Pay It No Mind: Marsha P. Johnson (2012) and The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017) and Happy Birthday, Marsha! (2017). In 2015, The Marsha P. Johnson Institute was established. Its mission is to defend and protect the human rights of transgender and gender nonconforming communities. Marsha is honoured as a Stonewall instigator, a drag queen, an Andy Warhol model, an actress and a revolutionary trans activist. Sources: History.com Editors, Biography.comEditors; i-D UK Follow this blog for more interviews with significant and famous members of the transgender community!

[stayvisible]

As a comic, rapper, poet, and actor in projects likeMr. Robot and Sense8, D'Lo is a queer transgender Tamil Sri Lankan-American whose aim is to "create meaning in everything I do". *** “What I have seen is that performance poetry/spoken word offers a place for queer people to be unapologetic and free in sharing their stories. With next to nothing in regards to resources, one can work on their craft by simply first writing & performing, then honing & polishing. The spoken word scene is about community and witnessing story through artistic encouragement and standards in crafting." *** "One of the most rewarding things for me in travelling to India and Sri Lanka, is to be able to connect with folks who are queer/trans & Tamil, who use community-based art as a form of activism. “Creativity to Queer people is vital for our survival. Artists who identify with being cis/straight/binary have had the luxury to not have survival be something that they’re constantly thinking about or sharing about. This is why I think that radical queers make the most compelling art; most everything we create is intentional for our collective, queer or not, survival. “The truth is that everybody needs - for our mental health - to be creatively engaged. I always ask people to make art a regular practice - not an everyday one - but a regular practice; to intentionally carve out time to express creatively and artistically. If we’re choosing to stay on this planet, let’s connect: connect to ourselves, connect to other people. Art is the best way to do that.” *** “When I think about body image struggles for queer people, I get sad that certain queer/trans folks insist on glorifying cis-passing bodies versus glorifying the fabulous feeling of being in the body that they are in at the moment. When you have a lot of messaging from queer/trans people saying, "Well, if you do this or if you have the money to do this, then you, too, can be beautiful and then you, too, can be happy and live a fabulous life!" it's not only bad for any queer that is struggling with body image or struggling period, it's bad on a global/international level because all things from the west gets exported to other countries - that's us participating in imperialist standards of beauty. “Somebody whose outward appearance does not abide by the beauty standards that are out there is gonna have a hard time trying to love themselves in a world that keeps calling them ugly. “I teach this workshop with queer and trans first generation or South Asian immigrants. I believe that in doing deep reflective work, we as queer and trans people find more freedom. And in these workshops, I'm basically asking: “What of the easy way through this creative process is actually you trying to mask your pain caused by internalized phobias?” lt seems to be the rock that cracks glass. There's no limit for unlearning. “Some of the things I want young queer people to know is to be gentle with themselves and to make this a practice, to rely on others and also make yourself reliable, and be in the practice of that." -D'Lo Follow D'Lo on Instagram for upcoming projects and queer love: @dlocokid

Follow this blog for more interviews with significant and famous members of the transgender community!

[stayvisible]

41% of transgender people have attempted suicide. 47% of trans youth have thought about suicide and 19% have attempted. In 32 states, transgender individuals can still be fired or denied employment for their identity. 26% of transgender people have lost their job because of their identity. According to USA Today, 2018 was the worst year for deadly assaults against transgender Americans than in any other year recorded.

Many are shot. Many are stabbed. Some have had their houses burned down while they were inside.

According to Haaretz, the number of trans people reported murdered each year by TMM has risen steadily, from 148 in 2008 to 358 in 2018.

The first murder this year was January 10th.

***

Here’s a secret. As someone who is white and went to Catholic school (and is a Gemini, ha!), I knew I could hold my own in conversation with the bigot (who came to campus 3 months ago, to the most trafficked place on campus) and could feign politeness. I despised every second of it; I was afraid for every second of it. With a 100% understanding that this was a fruitless effort, I just wanted so desperately to understand the lies transphobes tell themselves and the point of view that threatens the lives of millions.

After three hours, my lips were blue. My friend was tugging me away, so I went up to him and I said:

“I am leaving but I’ve got to tell you something. I am trans. If I live a devout life, following the Ten Commandments, reading the Bible, going to church every Sunday, working for charities, and living my life to the loving service of others, and I get to the Gates of Heaven, and I repent everything but my gender identity, am I going to go to hell?”

He just nonchalantly said, “You could.”

So I kept asking. I repeated the whole thing over and over. By the fifth time, I got the response I was looking for.

“If I repent everything but my gender identity, am I going to go to hell?”

“You could. I don't know - I could go to hell.”

“Exactly. You get it. Go home.”

***

A letter to the people I love, and the people I wish I had the chance to,

I learned what “transgender” and “non-binary” meant on the internet when I was thirteen. Pretty much all the resources I've ever had were compiled by some (very competent, mind you) 16-to-18-year-olds. There were no other resources than Tumblr and some WordPress blogs. The first time I participated in my own community was in the mourning of Leelah Alcorn, who ended her life on December 28, 2014. I was 14 years old.

StayVisible has been created as something tangible for trans youth to say, “Look! Here are people who have lived, survived, and thrived who are like us. Who are us.” What I didn’t realize was that I, too, needed that reassurance.

In retrospect, this project has been so very tethered to my heart is because that protest on December 10th 2018 woke me up.

I came to UBC because I thought it was the best place to be myself. I'm from a small town in Southern Alberta and just… realizing that I fought to be here and that I need to do that again broke my heart. But I saw people who were close to me and people I barely knew feeling scared and unsafe so I basically ran to the protest and was the first one there: “Okay, let's start a counter protest, let’s make those kids feel safe!”

And then people weren't showing up. “Oh, I've got class, I can't come.” These people are threatening my life, and you are my friends.

He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named was on our campus. The director of the largest anti-LGBT organization was on our campus. A man who became a nurse to be an anti-abortion activist in hospitals was on our campus. A man who had the most interveners in a court case in the history of this country was on our campus. A man who has been sued millions and millions of dollars for infiltrating the Toronto Pride Parade and handing out anti-LGBT propaganda was on our campus. And you had no idea.

There’s a reason it’s an “activist.” It’s an active responsibility. It’s not easy. Unlearning is also not easy. But I had to do it, this whole community had to do it. You misgender me - I’ve misgendered myself, too. But I practised. And it’s easier than you think. But you have to think about it more than just when trans people are with you.

We are asking for help. Inaction kills.

And for people who ask, who I brush off… of course, I am afraid. I am afraid and I do it anyway. There are people in my vicinity at all times who want to murder me and I don’t know who they are, and I’m making myself a target. But I will not say I am scared, and I am angry, and I am in deep, deep mourning, because don’t you dare pity me. Don’t you dare let these stories die.

—Scout Wasdell

follow this blog for interviews with significant and famous people in the trans community - the founder of TDOV, the founder of TDOR, Sense8 Cast, two-spirits, and a bunch more

[stayvisible]

Introducing @cassandrajames_ 🌸 “I was the first trans woman to take the stage of the Oscars along with Janet Mock and Daniela Vega, who was the first transgender woman to ever present at the Oscars.” ** “We are dismantling the cis male gatekeeping of drag. Gender is a performance, and if you, as a cis man, are able to comment and play with the female gender as a drag queen, there is deep misogyny if you are saying that a cis woman or a trans woman can’t do the same thing - that she can’t play or comment on the female gender through performance. The nuances of a woman who does feminine drag is powerful and I live for my trans Queens. “The reason why everyone can access drag is that it’s gender-play on stage through the context of performance. Drag, in the traditional context, is a larger-than-life way of looking at what we all do day to day. Choosing to wear jeans instead of a skirt, is like, two different kinds of drag. You are telling a story to the world about your gender every day when you leave the house. We are all doing drag. All day, every day. Gender is a construct, we made it up. We can also unmake it; we can also unlearn the binary. I find the binary wholey oppressive. It is oppressive to cis people, too, but they don’t even understand the ways they are being oppressed. *** #transisbeautiful “Click on the hashtag and see all the ways we are beautiful. I think that we are so very disconnected. I think this has to do with our fear. [People are] suffering because we've lost the ability to be vulnerable and have lost our ability to understand that there's power in vulnerability. Vulnerability drives connection, drives authentic connection, drives ecstatic connection. If you’re feeling alone, it means (when it’s safe to do so) being brave and opening social media and going on that hashtag. It’s not just about reading the comments or seeing all the pictures of trans people, but double tapping, and following, and DM-ing - reaching out to create a dialogue and create a community . . . There is so much love to access.” #30daysintransition “The original premise and mission was to share 30 self-portraits in 30 days. Every day, I told a different story about something that I experienced inside my transition. The idea behind it is that no 30 days consecutively, no 30 days randomly, no 30 days from one person to another’s looks the same. [#30daysintransition] was born out of a frustration . . . because the narrative that is being told [in media] about us is very narrow and very singular. I wanted to create a hashtag that I could click, and our community could click, and storytellers could click, to see how diverse our experience really is . . . It's such a cathartic and powerful experience and was my first foray into activism. Check out the hashtag, share when you can. I follow the hashtag myself, I love seeing people stories. I would love for the conversation to grow; that's the point - I want everyone who feels comfortable and safe to do so, to start using the hashtag and share a day in their 30 days - a day in their life.” -Cassandra James

Follow this blog for more interviews with significant and famous members of the transgender community!

[stayvisible]

“The way we’ve been able to uncover two-spirit is through recognizing a historical acceptance of gender diversity. Prior to colonization, two-spirit folk had roles and responsibilities and teachings, largely with a focus more around gender rather than with someone’s romantic or sexual orientation. The name that was given to me when I was an infant is non-gendered. So, I think I've always [had it be] a core part of me. “Two spirit identities are specifically for indigenous communities within Canada and the United States; there are other countries with their own conversations happening within their communities. Shawn Mendes cannot take up the term two-spirit. It's just not possible. The culture is at the core at the identity. “We’re able to have two-spirit teachings in our ceremonies; within our lands here in Saskatchewan, we've been able to acknowledge that there is roughly between 5 to 7 different identities around gender. Those conversations and the acknowledgement of those particular identities has only come about within these past two to three years. Some people are really scared of having to deal with past traumas of abuse within their own family, or abuse within residential schools; the biggest impact that has happened over the years is the introduction of homophobia and transphobia. “I thank [the transphobia I've encountered on my reserve] for opening my eyes to the impact of colonization; to the work that needs to be done; to the healing and the change that needs to happen across the board. [Non-indigenous] folks need to acknowledge the hurt and generational trauma that has been placed upon us. “I would love to see youth support groups take place on reserves, not only for two-spirit people of all ages, but also for their family members to go and get information and support and to have those conversations.” The Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation set a precedent by officially announcing that Two Spirit people are not only included in the community, but integral to it. The proclamation, the first of its kind in the province, will be marked by Saskatchewan’s first-ever Two Spirit Pride festival [on June 9 2016].¹ “Anyone who tries to tell you rules about [masculinity or femininity] are dead wrong, because there are no rules. You are Who You Are. And you are accepted as Who You Are by your whole community. We've got your back.” -Jack Saddleback Follow this blog for more interviews with significant and famous members of the transgender community! *** ¹The StarPhoenix

[stayvisible]

"Once you allow your child to be who they are, life is pretty boring. Ryland is a very typical boy. Come over to our house at dinner time - the kids still have to eat their vegetables, do their homework, and go to bed early. He is truly, totally normal and has exactly what a kid's life should be at 11 years old. *** "I want to protect him and do the fighting for him because he doesn't want to do the fighting right now. He just wants to be a kid . . . [If you’re trans,] you don't want to be teaching people all the time - you just want to be you. I'm sure it must get exhausting having to constantly advocate for yourself. [“Did you ever have a point where you felt, “maybe I’m in the wrong”?] Never. Ryland has really just thrived as a boy . . . I didn't really know that a lot of trans people have known since they were children . . . I look back and I can't imagine not listening - he's had such an amazing life so far and I don't know if it would be like that if we didn't allow him to be Ryland. The more I can normalize our journey, the easier it's going to be for other parents to follow suit and listen to their children, too. "If you don't support your child, do you want a dead child or a living child? . . . Us parents have these images in our heads of our children's future. I won't lie to you, I had this vision of Ryland wearing a white dress and walking down the aisle. But I realized that if I didn't accept Ryland for who he is now, he would never get to the age of being able to get married. "You decided to have a child. You made the choice that you're going to love that child no matter what. [Imagine] how heartbreaking it must be to go through most of your childhood not being listened to, and forced to go through body changes that are absolutely devastating; the earlier we can recognize these kids, the sooner we can help them from a lonely childhood and having to go through some of those changes that they don't want to go through. "My biggest goal is to help families wrap their heads around this so that they can have healthy, productive, amazing relationships with their children. I have so much love for this community of kids and my heart breaks for families [who] are missing out." -Hillary Whittington Follow this blog for more interviews with significant and famous members of the transgender community!

[stayvisible]

Martine Rothblatt graduated from University of California, Los Angeles with a combined law and MBA degree in 1981, then began to work in Washington, D.C., first in the field of communications satellite law, and eventually in life sciences projects like the Human Genome Project. In 1994, motivated by her daughter being diagnosed with life-threatening pulmonary hypertension, Martine began studying for a Ph.D. in medical ethics and entered the world of the life sciences by first creating the PPH Cure Foundation and later by founding a medical biotechnology company (United Therapeutics, 1996); she is the Chairwoman of the Board of United Therapeutics. She is also the CEO of GeoStar and the creator of SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Forbes Magazine recognizes her as the top-earning CEO in the biopharmaceutical industry in 2018. * “[Being transgender affected my college experience and] made it harder because of transphobia being present. “[The systems that helped me get to where I am today - I made many of them myself.] I decided to be out and open about myself. I got the idea from Sandy Stone of UT Austin, [who works with the Center for Women's & Gender Studies].” * “[The advice I have for companies and corporations on how to best set a transgender employee up for success?] Just respect them in their expressed gender. “[My advice for transgender university students entering business is to] be out and open. Yes, I did worry [that transphobia would affect the success of my businesses], but there are many things that can affect the success of a business. People are less queerphobic now than [40 years ago]. It is not [just] about the policies so much as it is about the attitudes. “[As the most successful transgender CEO in the world], success to me is making other people happy in their life.” * “[My biotechnology has found a way to help transgender people in transition] because some transgender people also have the illnesses our medicine treats. “[I want university youth to know that] we can travel into the future by creating mindfiles and uploading life to the cloud. [As for being “uploaded” to be as common as a credit card,] according to Ray Kurzweil, one of the smartest people alive, we will get to that level of technology democraticization circa 2045.” -Martine Rothblatt

Follow this blog for more interviews with significant and famous members of the transgender community!

#terasem