In The Spotlight

Are we becoming more visible or are there just more trans-people who are venturing out the door. I think it is a little of both.

At one time the only way you could qualify to transition was if you were able to integrate into society and you were heterosexual. Mainstream media only had stories about flamboyant drag queens and on the silver screen we were the psycho killers but the media has started to come around and portraying us in a better light. The media still get it wrong but the article general tone is positive.

In Orange is the New Black the trans-woman in the show is a trans-woman and she is portrayed positively (she did steal to get her operation, but then the show is about convicts) and in Hit & Miss the trans-woman is portrayed by a cis-woman (I have only watched one episode so I can really make a judgment about the show) who is a hit woman. Netflix says this about the series,

Mia is a transsexual contract killer. Her life is changed when she hears from her ex, who reveals that she's dying and that Mia has a son. Thrust suddenly into parenthood, Mia must now balance her killer instincts with her budding maternal instincts.

The show doesn’t focus on her being trans, it is treated as a secondary plot, the main intrigue is the balance between raising the children and her being a contract killer.

I believe that we are also declaring our rights to live our lives and not hide in the closet anymore. When we see that other trans-people can live their lives we realize that we might be able to stop hiding. We realize that we can transition at work and not worry about losing our job.

In the Province Journal yesterday there was an article about how we are gaining acceptance…

Transgender people gaining acceptance, but prejudice persists
By Karen Lee Ziner Journal Staff Writer
November 30, 2013

The visibility of transgender people and issues has increased dramatically in recent years. The work of advocacy groups has led to more protections. Personal stories, media exposure and the Internet have propelled a growing understanding.

But despite these strides, discrimination and violence against transgender persons persists. Advocates say there is much work to be done.

Among the high-profile people who have stepped forward are Stephen Ira Beatty, the transgender son of actors Warren Beatty and Annette Bening; Christina Kahrl, a sportswriter and editor for ESPN.com and co-founder of Baseball Prospectus; Stu Rasmussen, who became the first transgender mayor in the United States upon his 2008 election in Silverton, Ore.; and the late Maddie Blaustein, the voice of Meowth in the anime series “Pokémon.”
[…]
“It’s a different world” today, Spack says. Media coverage and a new societal openness “have made transgenderism not something you keep in the closet anymore ...”

I transitioned in June of 2007 and I have never been denied services or have been discriminated against, however, I have been subject microaggression of people deliberately using the wrong pronouns or calling me sir and people laughing behind my back.