We are here tonight to remember the members of our community who were murdered just because of who they were. All they wanted was to live their life as their true selves but hate got in their way.
These trans people were the targets of the hate that has been boiling to a head over the last 8 years, and it has been getting worst every year.
The people that we are remembering here today are not victims but rather the targets of the politicians that are stirring up hate against not only us but all those who are different.
We are lucky here in the Blues states where people have empathy for others and our rights was to the test on a ballot questions, here in 2018 Massachusetts the ballot questions 3 passed by a wide margin, the vote was approximately 68% voted "Yes" to keep the law.
In California a proposal to repeal protections for transgender students was defeated. In Colorado a ballot measure regarding protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, including transgender rights, passed. In New York the voters passed a constitutional ballot question protecting us.
Notice that every time our human rights were put to the test in a ballot initiative we won!
The University of Minnesota conducted a poll about us in 2022 and what they found was that 83%, yes that is 83% thought that transgender people deserve the same rights as other Americans!
The people are behind us!
I am old enough to remember the Lavender Scare of 1950! Which were Congressional hearings on “Homosexuals” by Republican Senator McCarthy… “Are you now a homosexual or have you ever been a homosexual?”
We made it through that and then along came in the 1970s, the “Save Our Children” campaign by Anita Bryant where they accused gay men molesting boys in bathrooms and wanted gay teachers out of the schools. Many states passed Constitutional amendments criminalize us, some of the laws are still on the books.
Once again we made it through the dark times but now new dark days are with us. What is different this time is that there is big money behind it. And that it has turned violent!
Now we are see an increase in bias crimes (I use Bias Crimes instead of Hate Crimes because not all discrimination is based on hate.).
In 2022 there was a 35% increase, in 2023 there was 3.6% increase and according to the FBI in 2021: 307 offenses, 2022: 515 offenses, and in 2023: 547 offenses. What used to be covert is now overt!
I wish we had a way to end bias crimes but no one sees a magical way to end them when podcasters spread their lies, or when politicians green light the violence.
I wish that I could say that the worst is behind us, but I can’t. We have dark days ahead of us but we will get through it together!
As we seen in the elections fifty percent of the voters support the lies and violence! Fifty percent of the people support bigotry and hatred, The language that the politicians used was horrible and it has given a green light to the violence we are now seeing.
So… What can we do?
It is as simple as being ourselves. Research has shown when someone knows a trans person they are more likely to be supportive of the community. I did outreach earlier in the month. What was the “outreach” it was simply I voted. But I had to stand in line for 40 minutes… talking to people.
We talked about... do remember the 5 and 10 cent store… The Red and White store we used to go in and get hot chocolate after skating on the paper-goods pond?… Yeah, I wonder how long the new store will last there no store seems to make a go of it there…
I have a blog and on Saturdays I play a meme that asks 9 questions and we all give our answers, most of the players are Christian women and now they know a trans woman and it changed the way that they think of us.
We move people’s hearts, just being ourselves. We don’t have to testify at a hearing, we don’t have to go to schools to speak. The most effective means of changing people minds is changing them one mind at a time be just being ourselves.
We will always be targets of bigotry and violence but we and our allies can work for peace and change people minds. We are survivors!
You are a member of a community and communities support one another, and we have allies who will watch our backs for us and that is why we are here tonight to remember our dead.
There is a Latin phrase that I remember at times like this it say… "Ne permittas bastardus te deprimere"
“Don’t let the bastards get you down!”
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