Monday 1/21/2013
Where We Are, and Where We Are Going
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today is MLK Day.
For people who are part of the LGBT community, I feel it is important for us to use this day to reflect back on where we currently are, and where we see ourselves going in both our personal lives and as a community seeking equal rights.
You don't have to be involved in politics to be an advocate and to speak about the things that matter. Advocacy takes shape in many forms. For instance, being open and honest with yourself and then allowing other people to truly know you, is a way of advocating for equal rights.
For those that are more involved in the political terrain of LGBT rights, this could mean fighting for your own state or vocalizing support for others states that currently do not support marriage equality. It means for people in the LGB community to vocalize support for people in the transgender community who are also at risk of not having a relationship validated, losing a job because of an aspect of their identity, or being kicked out of their home because they don't fit into the expectations that others have for them.
As we continue to see rights gained in some sectors but not others, we must not forget those who are still struggling.
The LGBT community in the U.S. has truly made amazing strides even in the past decade. We have done this because we refuse to remain silent, and refuse to let others push us into a category or label that does not define our being.
The more we are authentic with ourselves, the more we can be authentic with others.
"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom." Martin Luther King Jr.
Thursday 10/25/2012
To All Who Vote or Want To
Tomorrow is the last day to register to vote! Go out, speak up and protect our lives, bodies and love!
If you have time, please watch this video: http://vimeo.com/51920265.
If you have time, please watch this video: http://vimeo.com/51920265.
Wednesday 10/24/2012
Illinois Progress & Defeat this Week for Trans
There have been some interesting stories in the news this week that go beyond Honey Boo Boo and the down and dirty, cut-throat politics that have become the United State's little Coliseum.
The stories are issues affecting transgender and gender nonconforming students and individuals in the state of Illinois (or born in Illinois but reside somewhere else today).
Let's start with the news that made my blood boil and end with something that although is not perfect....is better.
On Tuesday I reached for my non-existent blood pressure pills (I'm practicing for what is inevitable in my life) when I read a story about the East Aurora School board passing a policy that would have allowed protections for transgender and gender nonconforming students. Such protections included teachers using the name and pronoun that the student preferred to go by, protecting students' identities and finding ways for them to participate in sports and physical education without outing them, and having the school administration work with each student on a case-by-case basis.
I've been working with several schools on these very issues and so to read this policy I felt that this school was going in the right direction...at least for 5 days, before they rescinded the policy due to pressure from a group that I call just another hate group full of bullies operating under the term "christian"....they call themselves, the Illinois Family Institute, a conservative christian ministry.
After hearing the groaning and moaning from this "christian" group, the school board decided they wanted to be fair so they rescinded the policy, even though actual parents (you know the people who have the kids who actually go to that school) said they were okay with the policy and they wanted their school to be safe for ALL students.
If you live near this school district or have kids or family that go there, I encourage you to use your voice and fight these hate groups that so easily push people around.
On to a brighter topic. The Illinois Department of Public Health has put into place a new decree (approved by a judge today) that has removed the need for genital reassignment surgery in order to change one's gender marker on their birth certificate. The downside, is that they are saying they still require some type of surgery, but what qualifies for that surgery is best determined by the individual's physician. Although removing the need for genital surgery has removed a huge burden for folks, the need for some type of surgery and the added approval from a physician's view creates a potential barrier for trans individuals.
For some, this won't be an issue because they are seeking some form of surgery and they have a great, knowledgeable physician...for those that do not want any form of surgery, do not have the financial means to complete any form of surgery, or are under the care of a stricter physician, this can still create problems.
We need to be aware of this and continue to advocate, but we also should appreciate the changes that we are seeing in these policies. A part of me is happy that the state hasn't defined what constitutes a gender change because that broad/gray area may allow people more flexibility, but the other part recognizes how that gray area can be a barrier.
If you have an opinion, feel free to write it below.
Article on East Aurora can be read here.
Article on the new birth certificate policy can be read here.
Thursday 9/6/2012
Chicago Police Force Adopts New Trans Policy
Over the past few years there have been many positive changes for people in the transgender community. Change in policies, ordinances, tax deductions, passports, etc. It is great to see another change happening in Chicago that will hopefully improve the treatment of trans individuals that come into contact with police officers.
The transgender community in Chicago, particularly trans women of color have been horribly victimized by both the general community and by law enforcement. Sadly, the community has also suffered a string of murders these past few months that leaves us all questioning, when will we be safe? And who can we turn to to help protect us from violence?
The policy that the Police Department has put into place effective August 22nd, 2012 will hopefully help those of us in the trans community begin to build a new relationship with law enforcement.
According to the Windy City Times, here is what the policy mandates:
"The order mandates that police not search transgender people in an attempt to determine their gender, that officers respect preferred names and pronouns for transgender detainees and that they not use someone's gender identity as assumed cause for a crime. It further bans derogatory language against trans people."
To read more about the mandate scroll through GoPride's site for current news.
Wednesday 8/15/2012
Transgender Memoir
If you are a person that loves to read memoirs and biographies, especially when they are written by LGBTQ individuals, then I recommend that you check out my memoir, Second Son: Transitioning Toward My Destiny, Love and Life (release April 2012).
Okay, yes....I am biased for recommending it to you because I was the one that wrote the book, but the reason I wrote it was to help people (really anyone...not just LGBTQ identified) who struggle to find their voice and also acceptance. I also wrote it to help those struggling with the term transgender and what that looks like. It is for those of you questioning your own gender identity, for parents struggling to understand their child, and also partners, family, and friends.
Second Son is about my transitions in life, not just my transition from female-to-male while living in Nebraska, but also my transitions from infant to child, child to body-obsessed
teenage girl, teenage girl to eating-disordered young woman, female to male,
daughter to son, and finally a beloved partner to a cherished fiancé.
It is the celebration of a person becoming who they were always meant to be. It is the universal story of a person discovering their own humanity and embracing the unsuspected strengths that always lay within. It is a tale that will resonate with people everywhere who are journeying to find their own destinies, love, and life.
Dan Savage, Co-Founder of It Gets Better Project said, "Ryan Sallans is an incredibly brave young man who has written a powerful book. Second Son will save lives."
If you read it and don't find a sense of inspiration and also clarification of what it is like to be trans...then let me know...but I don't think that will be the case.
Okay, yes....I am biased for recommending it to you because I was the one that wrote the book, but the reason I wrote it was to help people (really anyone...not just LGBTQ identified) who struggle to find their voice and also acceptance. I also wrote it to help those struggling with the term transgender and what that looks like. It is for those of you questioning your own gender identity, for parents struggling to understand their child, and also partners, family, and friends.
Second Son is about my transitions in life, not just my transition from female-to-male while living in Nebraska, but also my transitions from infant to child, child to body-obsessed
teenage girl, teenage girl to eating-disordered young woman, female to male,
daughter to son, and finally a beloved partner to a cherished fiancé.
It is the celebration of a person becoming who they were always meant to be. It is the universal story of a person discovering their own humanity and embracing the unsuspected strengths that always lay within. It is a tale that will resonate with people everywhere who are journeying to find their own destinies, love, and life.
Dan Savage, Co-Founder of It Gets Better Project said, "Ryan Sallans is an incredibly brave young man who has written a powerful book. Second Son will save lives."
If you read it and don't find a sense of inspiration and also clarification of what it is like to be trans...then let me know...but I don't think that will be the case.
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