November 20th was Transgender Remembrance Day. This is a day to honor and mourn the lives lost each year to acts of violence in the trans community. This year, a documented 331 transgender people were killed worldwide. The U.S. reported 30 deaths this year. This day is a much needed time for many people to become educated on the violence caused by transphobia across the globe.
Although I, myself, am not a member of the LGBT community, this is still an issue that is very near to my heart. My cousin is a transgender man. He is the most inspiring person I have ever met (I guess I could be a little biased since he is my cousin). He came out to our family as trans and when he was 13 years old. He is now 18 and off at college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical to study space engineering (with an awesome writing career on the side). In his 18 years, he has gone through more emotional and mental obstacles than any child should have to go through. I can't even imagine what it must be like to feel like your physical appearance doesn’t match your identity on the inside. These people feel trapped in an identity that they just do not belong to. We are always told to “love yourself,” but what happens when you can't even be yourself? That is a challenge that I cannot even imagine what it must be like to go through for your entire childhood, like my cousin. He has since been able to change his legal name and start testosterone supplementing. Through the adversity he has faced, my cousin managed to graduate as Valedictorian of his class, National Honor Society president, and find his passion for space science and writing, as well as get accepted into a fantastic school. He has become an amazing activist for his community, and I am very thankful he is open to me sharing his story.
My cousin is one of the very lucky ones, however. He has always had a very loving support system behind him that inspires him to be the truest version of himself. Many other transgender people don’t have this support system. At its most extreme, transphobia leads to very violent acts. Trans women and trans women of color are at the highest risk of facing this violence. This is why Transgender Remembrance Day is so important. The best way to help protect these people is through education. We have come very far as a society in terms of accepting people, especially in America, however, there are always areas to improve. By educating others on some of the horrors trans people face, more people can learn and become more tolerant and accepting.
No matter what, we are all people at the end of the day. Regardless of gender, race, religion, political affiliations, etc. we are all people deserving of basic human rights. No one deserves to be targeted for any of these things. I think it’s important to remember to be kind to everyone around us because everyone deserves basic respect and kindness.
It's so heartbreaking to know that so many transgender people live in a constant fear of being targeted just for existing. People don't realize how dangerous it can be to live as a transgender person, especially in countries where they are criminalized for it. It's important to have days such as this one to begin to educate people about this issue that is so often disregarded and spoken over. I'm glad your cousin was able to receive the love and support needed to be comfortable in his own skin!
ReplyDeleteIt can be pretty disheartening to see people treat others so horribly simply because they differ from their idea of "normal." Even though we call ourselves more morally upright than in ages' past, looking at these statistics makes me wonder if we could ever hope to be totally unbiased and capable of looking at other people as well, people. Thanks for sharing your cousin's story with us, and I wish the best for him. From the sound of it, he seems like a true role model to look up to.
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