Educator and Transgender representative to the board of Lutherans Concerned JamieAnn Meyers wrote a thought-provoking piece for the Huffington Post on Transgender Day of Remembrance. On January 20th, people around the world gather to remember those killed in the past year and beyond during acts of transphobic violence. This year was the 13th annual Day of Remembrance.
Besides remembering those who have gone before us, JamieAnn reminds us of the real trials transgender people face every day:
Transgender people experience significant harassment and discrimination in education, employment discrimination and economic insecurity, housing discrimination and homelessness, discrimination in public accommodations, barriers to receiving updated identification documents, abuse by police and in prison, and discrimination in health care and poor health outcomes. We have a long way to go until our transgender community can stand shoulder to shoulder with gender-conforming people and proclaim that we have equal access to the fruits of justice.
November 20th is a yearly wake-up call to people everywhere that education and advocacy must include the voices and concerns of transgender people if we are to build a world, as JamieAnn says, where "all people are respected, accepted and welcomed at the table where each of us is fed and nourished without regard to gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, social class or economic situation, ability, or age."
For more information about Transgender Day of Remembrance, visit http://www.transgenderdor.org/.
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