(As read by Aaron Kirkhouse  –  May 9, 2016)

Good evening from sunny Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

I wish I could be there to accept this award in person, but since I cannot, I am delighted to have Aaron Kirkhouse accept it on my behalf.

As you know, I am held in an American military prison with only a small library and without access to the internet. In this time of rapid technological advances in social networking and the machine learning age, it’s quite an odd predicament to find myself in.

Today, when once obscure online refrains are now finding their way into the global lexicon  —  ”pics or it didn’t happen”  –  it’s easy to feel disconnected from a world exponentially intertwined and dependent on technology.

As a military prisoner, my public persona is carefully controlled and enforced. Any interviews or statements that I make  —  such as this one  —  must be written or dictated through someone else who types it up on my behalf. I am not allowed to be recorded over the telephone, do any video interviews, or have any pictures taken  –  with the exception of the occasional grainy mug shot. For those living in my situation, it’s easy to start feeling invisible  –  left behind and dismissed by the rest of a fast-paced society.

Despite these obstacles, I know I need to keep going. It is important to stay vocal. To stay creative. Active. Motivated. To keep fighting.

I keep fighting to survive and thrive. I am fighting my court-martial conviction and sentence before a military appeals court, starting this month. I am fighting to make the full investigation by the FBI public. I am fighting to grow my hair beyond the two-inch male standards by the U.S. military.

I keep fighting to warn the world of the dangerous trend in which the only information you can access is the kind that someone with money or power wants you to see.

And, I keep fighting to let people know that they too can create change. By staying informed and educated, anyone can make a difference. You have the ability to fight for a better world for everyone  —  even for the most desperate, those at the bottom of the social ladder, refugees from conflict, queer and trans individuals, prisoners, and those born into poverty.

Thank you all so very much for your support over the years, and thank you to Lady Hollick, Mr. Davis, and Dr. Dreyfus for selecting me to be the first person to receive this award. It is truly an an amazing treat. I’m honored that my voice continues to be heard. Thank you for all for listening and choosing to fight alongside me. And of course, thank you to Aaron Kirkhouse for accepting this award for me.

I am grateful to you all  —  for being here tonight, and being there for me tomorrow. Think what we might accomplish if we do one thing  —  perhaps a grand undertaking or even what may seem to be a tiny, insignificant gesture  –  each day with the simple goal of making the world a better place.

Good night everyone =)

Aaron Kirkhouse (above) accepting the Blueprint Enduring Impact Whistleblowing Prize on Chelsea Manning’s behalf.

This piece originally appeared on Chelsea Manning’s Medium blog.

Source
Author: Chelsea Manning

You might have seen or heard Mara Keisling speaking on behalf of NCTE in major media outlets concerning transgender issues. If there is legislation pending that affects the transgender community (as recently in South Dakota and North Carolina), chances are pretty good that you will find her there, speaking with leaders and stating our case.

NCTE was founded in 2003, and Mara (as Executive Director) has been on the frontlines of the national struggle for transgender rights ever since. Before that, she worked in social marketing and opinion research in Pennsylvania’s capital, Harrisburg. She has mentioned that she was motivated to help found the NCTE after the rising violence against transgender people, such as the death of Rita Hester in 1998. Her death would also be the inspiration for the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Although she is the Executive Director of NCTE and works with the media quite often, she actually is one part (though a big part) of the team at NCTE. Over the years, her team at NCTE has led or worked in coalition to bring about significant advances for the transgender community (federally, and at state and local levels).

Mara is a graduate of Penn State University and did graduate work at Harvard University in American Government. She sometimes speaks at transgender-related events, such Transgender Day of Remembrance commemorations and trans conferences like First Event in Boston. When she does speak publicly, it becomes apparent that she is incredibly bright and quite witty. Altogether, she is an incredible force for positive change and an indispensable part of the transgender community.

The image of the LGBT world in recent campaigns has been that of white cisgender gay people in long term relationships, often with children. It’s a one dimensional idea that aims to show queer people as heteronormative and matching the moral virtues of conservative bigots. That kind of tactic does little to recognize the humanity of LGBT identities and it also leaves a lot of people behind.

Over one-quarter of homeless youths identify as LGBT, and many more live in poverty or face discrimination from employment, particularly if they are transgender. The lack of options due to the prejudices of society means that LGBT people are more likely to depend on sex work as a form of income, particularly trans people.

“It is simply hypocritical for LGBT activists to fight for bodily autonomy but deny it to sex workers.”

Arguments for the criminalization of the trade are quick to dismiss the basic fact that any laws against sex work would simply punish the most vulnerable further. It would not tackle the basic issues such as poverty and discrimination that LGBT people are at greater risk of experiencing. It certainly would not stop abuse and exploitation but would merely drive sex work underground and make it incredibly difficult for sex workers to access support if they were harmed during the course of their work.

LGBT people in poverty and with limited options in life aren’t going to give up their one form of income, they’ll just be in danger from being arrested, too.

In terms of ideology, the two movements are not so far apart. The heart of the demand for LGBT rights is the idea that all people should be granted autonomy over their lives and bodies, that anyone should be allowed to sleep with who they choose and that it only concerns the people in the relationship and not the government or bigots. The very same idea is at the core of the fight for sex workers. Why should they not be granted the same freedom? Why should they not be allowed to have sex with who they choose?

People enter into sexual relationships for all kinds of reasons. It is rarely a fairytale of two people falling in love. Sometimes it is for fun, but many engage in survival sex of some form, whether it be to keep a roof over their head or to not face crushing debt alone. Many have sex because it’s simply a way to shut their partner up. The list is endless and every reason is valid. The only issue is that the people having sex are consenting to it and anything else is an arbitrary moral judgement which no one has the right to make.

“If we want to be free then we must support the right of all consensual sex.”

Sex work and LGBT rights battles are about the liberation of our bodies. It is simply hypocritical for LGBT activists to fight for bodily autonomy but deny it to sex workers, and given the huge numbers of people within the community who engage in sex work it also throws a lot of LGBT people under the bus.

While prejudice remains over who people choose to have sex with then we have not obtained sexual freedom and it also wavers on the edge of perpetuating prejudice for LGBT lives and relationships. If we want to be free then we must support the right of all consensual sex. If we want to protect sex workers then we need to listen to them and work out what will be effective and keep them safe.

Sex work is as old as LGBT identities and it isn’t a form of trade that is going to stop any time soon. It’s as futile as the war on drugs so the choice is clear: either we put punitive ideologies first or people.

Source: Stephanie Farnsworth: Why LGBT and Sex Worker Rights Go Hand-In-Hand