If you have something to say...
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If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
As the truism advises, "Think globally, and act locally," my hope is that we can join together to create the world as be a place where everyone will celebrate their Pride safely and with integrity in ways that express their truest joys while showing their full humanity, freedom, and liberty.
A wildly insensitive New York Times article on the life and death of trans artist and drag performer Lorena Escalera flared tensions between the gender-variant community and the paper when it was published as part of the Sunday edition on May 14.
I had no idea that transgender people could live so openly in Indonesia, a country with the world's largest Muslim population. Like many Americans I had this notion of Islam as being particularly unforgiving toward sexual minorities. How could a community of warias possibly exist?
I've never heard a woman say, "I shouldn't eat those fries they're bad for my inner peace." No guy checking himself out in the mirror ever tells himself, "Your values and morals are looking hot today."
Imagine a world where someone with a penis can wear dresses every day if this person desired. Gender-neutral bathrooms and department stores and professional sports become the rule rather than the exception to it. Children can play with whatever toys they prefer.
I've now an eye on the big picture: winning the hearts and minds of those not quite on board with trans people. If this involves embracing something seemingly shallow, so be it. My hat goes off to Jenna for opening some doors we couldn't have done easily otherwise.
My 4-year-old son looked up at me and said, "Daddy I hate my boy parts. When do they go away?" The look in his eyes was one of sincere, innocent pain.
At 17 I have a lot to worry about: graduating from high school, keeping in touch with friends, staying out of trouble, dealing with sexual issues, etc. But who thought I would have pressure from Facebook to decide whether I am male or female.
If entering a women's restroom at the Parkland Hospital is found to be in compliance with the conditions of her parole and no further charges stem from this incident, then Witherspoon's criminal history should not matter in this incident.
I waited for the old man to tell me I was nuts. He looked at me and said, "Maybe I am too old to change. Maybe your son and my grandson will be able to make things better."
I don't want to be disrespected and misgendered in my death, as all too often happens to transgender folks in news reports on our deaths. I was reminded of that this weekend when I read the unfortunate New York Times article about the death of Lorena Escalera.
The FTM (female-to-male) community cannot gloss over the fact that we who are genderqueer and identify as men, dress as men, bind, pack, etc. are not "less-than" because we don't take testosterone. We are not less than any man because of our choice not to have surgery.
Are you male or female? For many people, answering this question doesn't cause a moment's hesitation. But for genderqueer people, this question isn't so easy to answer, and survey research that offers only two gender options may overlook genderqueer people's experiences altogether.
Society had graciously given us the "tomboy" label to justify our child's behavior, which we gladly used as a wishful excuse. But all too soon it became hard to ignore the earnest pleas for the McDonald's Happy Meal that included the boy's toy, or the innocent requests to wear male clothes.
To some people it may look like I am terribly mixed up, but in reality, I simply sorted my life out before starting my family.
In Argentina, "Senators approved the Gender Identity law by a vote of 55-0." 55-0? I can't imagine that unanimity happening with any positive legislature for the LGBT in this country.
