Back in June, 2019, I went down to New York City for the World Pride Parade/Celebration. It was so wonderful to be among others of the LGBTQIA+ Community and their supporters. And to see so many - and from outside of the U.S. - was very affirming and uplifting to me! I stayed until the Sun went down, leaving NYC while it was dark. Saw the upper-deck bridge near Grand Central Terminal lit up with rainbow colors - and saw the Tappan Zee Bridge (Governor Cuomo Bridge) also lit with Pride Colors!
With all that has happened since then, I would be very afraid to attend a Pride event in NYC again! Not only are LGBTQIA+ Community people being targeted, but law enforcement, service people (such as train conductors/operators, public service workers), and just everyday people trying to get around. I feel as though if World Pride were held this year in NYC, there would be massive anti-LGBTQ+ protests, violent outbursts and mob-fighting, a mass shooting or even a bombing at the event!
There is a marked increase in violence... heck, just plain evil, that's gripping not only the United States, but the world. It's like there's a "Silent World War III" happening: "Silent" meaning nobody has declared us in WWIII, but between the Ukraine/Russia War, Israel/Hamas/Gaza Strip War, and the posturing of other countries "sabre-rattling", it sure feels like it!
Then, you have the attacks on the Transgender community in the forms of legislation being put forth, and enacted, to strip us of our Freedoms, deny us proper healthcare, and our literature being banned from public view like it was triple-X bestiality pornography, makes me feel like I should dig a "Fallout Shelter" and hide there for the rest of my life!! Not to mention the assault on Women - or more importantly, stripping Women (of all ages) of bodily autonomy concerning their reproductive organs!
I don't feel safe anymore! It's like Good is losing to Evil: crime pays, dishonesty is rewarded while honesty is punished, and good, honest, law-abiding people are being treated like "The Enemy" in society! Up is down, left is right, and the floor is falling out below us!
What kind of world are we living in?!
@mariagny sadly, a corrupt one. I continually scratch my head wondering how this continues in a so called, free world. I’m not optimistic in the short term for anything positive to come about and can only hope the long run will bring some sanity to it all. I am out and now feel I am being forced to tread carefully. I hate it.
Its a long road ahead of us and the trans community.
Unfortunately, I see the road we are headed down. Its hard to believe that in such a short time of enlightening, the world turned their back on us, when they saw just how many of us there really are. It scares them. And in trying to slow down the acceptance of our community, they have opened a box of mischievous acts that are will eventually hurt not just us, but those that should be seeing the writing on the wall.
Hopefully in time, after the I told you so phase, we can once again come together and pave an enlightened and peaceful road to happiness.
I understand, I am also fearful for the future, but trying to be optimistic. With all the anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ laws they are trying to pass and all the increased violence I don't really know how it will go. There has already been a news story about a NB Trans-person who died in Oklahoma after being attacked by 3 or more Cis-Het girls. And at the time of the article the girls weren't suspended or facing any charges/repercussions for it. Hopefully people don't start thinking it's ok to murder transpeople.
Yes, much time will take. Discrimination of LGBTQI+ due to misunderstanding and misplaced hatred is in many US states. Medical professionals are ignored for political gains. Many setbacks have occurred in recent years, including states attacking youth seeking gender-affirming care. LGBTQ Nation is one of many sources that tracks and reports on the news and politics.
I'm just coming out this year and what a hell of year to come out to...but I can't keep wearing this mask and staying in the closet. History hasn't looked fondly on those who oppress and keep marginalized groups down. It's a shame society has moved backwards in some areas but that just means we have to keep moving forward and change the current again. We have to be the change in order for things to start changing. The road will be long and hard but if we give up then we won't get to where we need to be.
One significant problem is that MANY continue to believe that gay and trans people “become”. However, that was NEVER the case. We come into this world as we are.
If people would spend some time reading about the lives of gay and trans people, they would find that we knew that we were different from our peers at single digit ages in MANY cases. We didn’t know what it meant and had no words to describe it, but we knew that we were different.
Also, if our sexual orientation and our gender identity was something that had happened, then conversion therapy would work as we would be reversing something that had changed. But, conversion therapy does not work. You can’t reverse something that wasn’t a change to begin with.
In addition, many seem to be invested in the Zero Sum Game. It plays out like this:
In order for me to have Rights, it means that (somehow) your Rights are diminished.
The perception that Rights are finite, but that is not what happens. You can’t measure Rights. They exist or they do not exist. You have Rights or you do not have Rights. They don’t exist quantitatively. You can’t walk up to the Deli Counter and ask for a Pound of Rights, but people seem to act as if you could.
Yes, all of this worries me deeply; not only for my wife and me, but also for my daughter, her husband, their daughters and my son.
Last presidential election cycle I seemed to be out of sorts all the time with a very generalized background anxiety. This was VERY unusual for me and I couldn’t seem to connect it with anything. It wasn’t until the election was over, and Biden had won, that I understood what had happened. My undefined anxiety was due to worry about the outcome of the election.
Over the years, I have encouraged trans people to be politically active in the towns and cities where they live. I am VERY tired of hearing “I’m not an activist. I just want to live my life.”. However, if we, as a community, don’t become involved, there may be no life to live.
Amen Deeann. We must be involved in procuring and maintaining our rights
@mustangtoni I think too many people have an incorrect perception about activism. It isn’t limited to leading or participating in protests. There’s working for/with organizations and candidates that support us by phone banking, texting, preparing post cards and financial support. There are MANY things that are pretty invisible.
I get it I think it even boils down to how we represent ourselves as transgender persons in our daily encounters in our communities we are all ambassadors in our own way
@mustangtoni I have always been a clothes person. This was true for Don before and DeeAnn now. When I was a kid, my father would tell me “Look like you own something.” and at the age of 75, that is still significance for me. I do admit that one vice I have is short skirts, skorts and dresses with many 6”-7” above the knee. But, I don’t do ripped jeans, hoodies, low cut this or back out that. I have a number of silk or silk blend items that I love to wear and an extensive collection of jewelry, shoes and hats. I don’t want anyone to think that is some way I am “less than” based on how I look. Actually, in many cases I am dressed better than many cis-gender women that I encounter. I have no intention of bragging, but it is true.
Several years ago, I went to a UPS Store opening that was owned by some friends of mine. They had a business partner that I had not met previously. She gushed over my outfit and how nice I looked. She did this maybe 3 times. It dawned on me that what she was really saying was how nice I looked compared to those “other” trans women. The giveaway was that she had to keep complementing me. That is well beyond what most people would do. The fact that she kept talking strongly suggested that something else was going on.
