Most of you know my political leanings. What you may not be aware of is why I feel the way I do. I'd like to share some personal stuff with you if you don't mind.
Last night, I attended a memorial ceremony for the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. While you may not be familiar with it, we in the Trans community are. It is a solemn day for us because it keeps alive the memory of all those who have been murdered simply for being different. This post is my takeaway from the event.
Thanks to Dr. Geena
Alessia Buono and all the other wonderful people for organizing last
night's Transgender Day of Remembrance event at the Paramount Theater in Asbury
Park. Trans folk, friends and allies shared their love, art, stories and
support for our community and the struggles many of us face.
During the reading of the names of those who were
murdered this past last year (there were over 300 worldwide) one word stood out
among all the others; UNKNOWN. These people were killed for the crime of being
different. Ostracized by their own people, they are unable to find jobs, are
rejected by their families and are often homeless. Many become sex-workers
because they are desperate and need to eat. And when they are killed,
identification is often impossible because no one claims their remains and they
have no official ID. Even in death, they are denied the simple dignity of
having a name.
This past week, I have been honored to be at the Matthew
Shepard Foundation's kickoff of their 20th year (yes it's been that long) and
once more reminded of the violence that is perpetrated on the LGBT community on
a daily basis. Add to that the solemnity of last night's memorial, and suffice
to say that I am emotionally drained today.
As a performer, I've always tried to bridge the gap
between Trans and cis folk. I believe that love, humor and laughter can ease
pain and bring people closer by showing that we are more alike than we are
different. But we live in a time of division and hate and that both saddens and
sickens me. It threatens us as a community and it threatens us as a society. We
are all we have. We are all one family. Why can't we all understand that?
The numbers of our murdered Trans brothers and sisters
grows each year. The suicide attempt rate in the Trans community is still at
40%. In any other sub-culture of America, this statistic would be a call to
arms; but not with us. Why?
True, we are making strides and fighting for our place in
the world. It is happening, albeit slowly. But to have so many die UNKNOWN, to
have so many children fearing for their lives each time they get on a school
bus, to have violence perpetrated on another human being simply for being
different…that’s not America. That’s not living up to the ideal of all men and
women being created equal. That is a sin against humanity.
So much of the hate seems to stem from those who purport
to be followers of Jesus. They should be ashamed of themselves. Jesus was a man
of peace. Jesus spoke of the brotherhood of man, of acceptance and most of all,
of love. And yet these “godly folk”, who have chosen to support a pedophile in
an election, who call for LGBT folk to be murdered and hated and ostracized
from society, still continue to believe that god is on their side. How have we
come to this?
I appreciate the time you took to read this all the way
through. It means a lot to me. I have tried to refrain from diatribes such as
this one because it seems that I proselytize too much on the subject human
rights and love. I can’t help it this time. I needed to say it. Thank you.
