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This is like a double heaping of salt in the wound, from an administration that has already built a reputation for being racist. We’ve barely recovered from the 20th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard, a petite young gay man whose gentle, and some would say effeminate, demeanor likely played a role in being targeted and brutally murdered.Īs has been the trend for decades, transgender people of color are suffering the most – not only in violence, but in homelessness, depression, economic disadvantage and more. The Academy of Pediatrics stepped forth just this month, for the first time ever, to recommend extra care for transgender and “gender-diverse” children. This year, 2018, is shaping up to be the most violent ever against transgender people. The timing for our president’s attempted dismissal of transgender people as real people couldn’t be more like salt in the wound: My trust is in my community’s strength, and our friends’ and families’ love, to stand together and resist.” “I am proud of the trans community’s history, honored to be part of our present, and unwaveringly hopeful about our future. “I will continue to exist, and my experiences will still have happened no matter how hard this administration tries to erase and regress,” reads a Facebook post from Finn, founder of UI Trans Alliance who was named one of 50 Points of Pride nationwide by The Advocate Magazine for his activism. People like Sean Finn, now a New Yorker but one of Iowa City’s transgender pioneers for years, are stepping forward with brave statements of optimism. Gay men and lesbians are even posting statements of apology and remorse for not standing up sooner on behalf of their transgender community members. “You are seen, you are valued, you are loved.” “Trans friends, I’m in your corner,” posted Nathan Kelley, president of Iowa City Pride and my colleague on the board. We are in a swirl of rallies, personal revelations, and comforting statements circulating through social media, at support groups and in bars, an outpouring of the need to gather and speak out. Like the AIDS epidemic, the fight for women’s rights, the battle for marriage equality, and the #MeToo Movement, this legal and ethical battle our president is forcing us into will take all of society to a higher level of dignity.īut first, the pain … it’s palpable. I’m also here to share that there’s hope right around the corner. Sheer, aching pain over plans by the president to proclaim gender a matter of biology only, what you were born with. Pain is the reaction flowing through our community, as word spreads of President Trump’s attempted repudiation of transgender people. Anger isn’t what I’m seeing these past few days from Iowa City’s LGBTQ+ community.