In this month of June we remember the Stonewall Uprising, we have Pride events all around the state and the country. Here in Connecticut we have major Pride events in the cities with week long events, they have become flashy events sponsored by corporations. But I am more hopeful of the small town events like those that are being held in towns like Bethel, Litchfield, Simsbury, West Hartford, and many other towns around the state.
We all know about Stonewall but there were also the 1959 Cooper’s Donuts Uprising, the 1965 Dewey’s Lunch Counter Protest, and the 1966 Compton Cafeteria Uprising, they all had one thing in common, they all were protesting laws that banned trans people. That’s right, there were laws tat actually criminalized being trans. You could be arrested for going out the door!
Danica Roem's message to LGBTQ youth: 'You have to care' about politics
CNN
By Dana Bash
June 20, 2021
Danica Roem, on her knees with her face in her hands, crying. It was 2017 and she had just become the first state lawmaker who identifies as transgender elected in Virginia.
She will always be the first, but four years later, she is no longer the only person in the US who identifies as transgender to be elected and serve in a state legislative body. It's not a well populated trail, but one she is proud to have blazed.
"They were willing to look at me and they go, 'Yeah, we know she's trans and she'll do a great job,'" Roem said of her constituents in an interview with CNN earlier this month.
"I never say 'trans but,' always 'trans and.' Because it's like, no, I don't hide who I am. People know exactly who I am here."
And during this Pride Month, Roem has a message to the younger people in the LGBTQ community who say they don't like politics: "When you are an LGBTQ person, you have to care."
In Tennessee we now have to use special bathrooms set aside for us just like they did for blacks, in a growing number of states they are banning healthcare for us.
I have heard many trans people say that is only happening in Red Republican states.
Well my dears, two years ago a bill was introduced here in the Blue state of Connecticut that would have stripped insurance coverage for us! This year the same senator introduced bill to ban us from sports teams (He also introduced an amendment to ban teaching racial injustice.).
"When you are an LGBTQ person in the United States, regardless of whether you care about politics, politics cares about you," Roem said.
Her plea is personal, and she hopes her activism will inspire the next generation into action as well.
"If you're not involved, if you are not your best advocate, you're asking someone else to fill that void. Some of the people who will try to step up to fill that void are going to be political charlatans who have no interest in preserving your best interest," Roem said.
I hear trans people say that they are not interested in politics, I just want to live my life.
Well my dear, it was politics has allowed you to do that!
Protests and rallies are good. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that we needed both the inside and outside game. We needed the protests to make the public aware of the issues and to put pressure on the lawmakers but we also needed people on the inside to bring up the issues at the table.
We need trans people on the town committees. We need trans people in legislature and boards of selectmen. We need trans people to make our voices heard. We need to have trans people to testify before legislative committees. We need to be seen. We cannot count on cis gender legislator to do the right thing.
We need to be cognizant of the world around us. We are am oppressed minority and all that it imposes upon us. Do you want to be forced back in the closet? It is happening! If you don’t believe me try going the bathroom in Tennessee.
Politics allowed you to be the person you are today.
Well my dear, it was politics has allowed you to do that!
- Politics allowed you to go out and not be stopped to see if you had on at least three items of your birth gender of clothing on.
- Politics allowed to be able to go out to a restaurant or a movie theater without being thrown out.
- Politics allowed you to have health insurance coverage.
- Politics allowed us to change our birth certificate.
- Politics banned hate crimes
- Politics banned “trans panic” defense.
- Politics banned hate crimes against us.
- Politics banned the practice of beating the trans out of you.
Protests and rallies are good. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that we needed both the inside and outside game. We needed the protests to make the public aware of the issues and to put pressure on the lawmakers but we also needed people on the inside to bring up the issues at the table.
We need trans people on the town committees. We need trans people in legislature and boards of selectmen. We need trans people to make our voices heard. We need to have trans people to testify before legislative committees. We need to be seen. We cannot count on cis gender legislator to do the right thing.
We need to be cognizant of the world around us. We are am oppressed minority and all that it imposes upon us. Do you want to be forced back in the closet? It is happening! If you don’t believe me try going the bathroom in Tennessee.
Politics allowed you to be the person you are today.
Her plea is personal, and she hopes her activism will inspire the next generation into action as well.
"If you're not involved, if you are not your best advocate, you're asking someone else to fill that void. Some of the people who will try to step up to fill that void are going to be political charlatans who have no interest in preserving your best interest," Roem said.
"You can't count on other people to be your best advocate. You have to step up."
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