The situation facing trans and gender non-conforming people in the United States right now is really bleak. And I really want to have an earnest plea that people stop framing this as a minority issue and reframe this as a universal attack on self-determination. Every one of us should be able to determine our own gender. No one else should be able to tell us what we should look like, how we should act, and what we should do with our bodies. So we need you to show up in this moment, not just out of an ethics of allyship. That doesn’t feel like enough for me, but out of an insistence and your own dignity, your own capacity to transform, your own love of self. (Alok Vaid-Menon)
The past few months have seen a great deal of harm perpetuated by both processes at the federal and local levels related to continuing efforts to marginalize trans and non-binary people in our community and nation. I am encouraged in my activism by the words of Alok Vaid-Menon, who reminds me that there is no us and them, there is only us. And each of us has a stake in the ongoing efforts to marginalize people because of their gender identity or expression. I am heartened by the outpouring of support for those in our local community to address this issue at the City level. I encourage all of us to continue to support efforts to educate, advocate, and demand different ethics and behavior standards from those elected to service us.
Additionally, at this moment in our nation, it is imperative that as a welcoming community of faith, we resist attempts to demand the adoption of gender-binary language and the marginalization of those who are made most vulnerable by these efforts, especially our youth, and children. We are called in this moment to be courageous, prophetic, and compassionate. As a people of faith, we must demand better of our elected officials and our communities at large. Despite efforts to undo more than a half-century of advocacy, we will continue to honor our commitment to being welcoming and affirm our desire to continue to learn and create an environment where people are encouraged to define themselves in those ways that are most important to them.
Keep the faith. Be courageous. Exude compassion.
Blessings, Aaron