Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance, and it puts me in a rather somber mood.
Today, more than most days, I am focused inward and I scrutinize my experiences. It’s dangerous living as an open and proud transgender individual. It’s just as dangerous being a person of color, especially if you identify as male. I’m lucky, I guess. I’ve only lost my job and been denied a job. I’ve not been assaulted or had someone try to kill me because of my gender expression or the color of my skin. I get to pick up the pieces, scattered as they may be, and try again. Others are not as lucky.
In any case, here’s the text of a post I made on Facebook:
Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
I implore you, my friends, remember those who have passed on, not just from violent acts committed against them by other people, but from violent acts committed against themselves.
Transgender lives are lost not just from violence, but also from suicide. In the struggle to become more authentic to ourselves, we all face our inner demons that tell us that “we’ll never ‘pass’ for what we see inside” or that “we’re not good enough for love”. Many of us win that war over many battles; others do not.
This is why I fight on. Why I continue to lend my voice, my identity, and my history as a speaker. I may not be as well-known as Ryan Sallans or Buck Angel, but my story and my voice are just as important as theirs.