Resonance

Researching a presentation that I’m giving at UConn School of Social Work I came across the speech that Lana Wachowski delivered to the Human Rights Campaign's annual gala dinner in San Francisco in October 2012 on her acceptance of their Visibility Award and many parts of her speech resonated with me. One of the parts that I related to was went she went out to dinner with her mother for the first time…

We went to dinner. I dressed as feminine as I could, wanting to be seen by strangers as Lana. Hoping that waiters would not call me "sir" or "he," as if these people suddenly had the power to confirm or deny my existence.

Especially the part “as if these people suddenly had the power to confirm or deny my existence.” So many time people have that power over us to put us down by using the wrong pronoun or calling up by our old name or by using derogatory comments or by laughing. Whether it is by ignorance or bigotry the effects are the same, depression and suicide.

Visual non-conformity is a risk factor in causing anti-transgender violence, how well one passes is directly proportional to the amounts of bigotry faces every day. In the email that I received are my presentation last week the woman wrote “…I told them I had just heard from one of the bravest people I’d ever met.” No I’m not brave, the ones who are brave are the trans-people who do not pass and go out every day, and they are the ones who are facing the violence and discrimination. The brave ones are the ones who because they have nothing go out and work the streets.

The bigotry also come from within our community by those who want to pass judgment on those they feel do not meet their standards. Those within our community who want to confirm or deny our right to be ourselves.

The brave ones are those who stand up against any who try to confirm or deny our existence.