Are times really changing for the LGBT community? More specifically, is it really the tipping point for transgender folks? It appears that there is an increase in media attention covering transgender issues across America. But why? And what is causing this sudden interest with a community that has been living in the dark and has been oppressed for so long? As a trans woman and activist, I have formed my own opinions based on the current state of affairs that we are currently facing.

If we look back just forty-three years, we find that the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and declared that homosexuality was not a mental illness. Not so long ago, were the gays and lesbians fighting to be seen as equals in the eyes of American law, but they were fighting to be seen as sane and mentally capable individuals. What is astounding is that within that movement, the transgender community was never mentioned, nor was gender dysphoria addressed. As a result, the stigma and fear that once accompanied homosexuality during those times of ignorance is the same stigma and fear that is currently placed on gender identity and transgender individuals.

To begin understanding gender identity it is important to acknowledge that it is not a choice, just like sexual orientation, but rather a state of consciousness that a fraction of the population experiences. The choice in this matter is choosing to live authentically, as the person we know we are within. Until the general public and the religious opposition begin to understand this fundamental truth—which most likely won’t be tomorrow—general views and acceptance of trans people will not shift or come about at the rate we would like it to. The transgender community, therefore, must continue taking actions to bring forth change at a local and national level to guarantee its very own protection. As the new “equal rights movement” in America, the trans community needs to look back at history and understand it, so that we may get a glimpse of our future. Just as the Jews were once oppressed by the Nazis, and the African Americans were once slaves and second-class citizens, we must fight our battle head-on and win. It is inevitable.

We may not change every mind or religious belief out there, but history tells us that we will gain equal rights in the eyes of the law, that we will gain complete protection from discriminating employers, and that law enforcement and elected officials will uphold and obey the law of the land and protect every citizen of this nation. The “Transgender Tipping Point,” as Times Magazine called it in its June 9th, 2014 issue featuring transgender actress Laverne Cox on the cover, is in fact approaching if not here already, and the signs are evident.

Just last month, Sheriff Chuck Wright, from the South Carolina’s Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Department, spoke at a Republican’s women’s meeting and threatened to ‘whip’ any trans woman found in the women’s restroom. Not long after, Tracy Murphee, a Denton County, Texas cop, also threatened to beat transgender women that may be using the same restroom as his little girl. Various states have recently passed and are trying to pass more anti-LGBT legislation that blatantly discriminates against transgender people. It’s obvious that fear and ignorance are deeply rooted in our society and our government and that it is directed at trans men and women, whom many see as sexual predators and as mentally ill. What the masses are failing to admit is that the trans community is in fact the new focus for social injustices and that this community is being used as the new scapegoat for those who propagate their hateful religious agendas and bigotry. At this point in time, it is more socially acceptable to be gay, but it remains a disgrace and an abomination to be transgender. So how is all of this seemingly bad news a sign that things are changing for the better?

As with any equal rights movement, the opposition appears to get stronger as the movement makes great strides forward. The fearful and the ignorant will speak up against us, threaten our cause and even our lives. But they are inadvertently helping us gain more ground by showing the leaders at the top that it is time for change. Life has drastically changed in the past thirty to forty years for the queer community, and every injustice that a trans man or woman suffers at the hands of the oppressors—and often violent perpetrators—becomes one more notch on the scoreboard in favor of our cause. This in no way makes it admissible for any of us to become victims of violence or injustice. Simply put, we should not have to suffer or die in order to have equal rights. But this is the current reality we are facing as a community and as part of this largely divided and misguided society.

So where does this leave us now, and what must we do to move forward? For one, we must push harder than ever before. We must live in the face of opposition and not give into fear. Our stories need to be told and heard, and more of us need to flood the media outlets and share our journeys. Visibility in large numbers is the key to persuading our local and national leaders that we will not stand for it any longer. If we are to be known as “The United States of America,” tremendous changes will have to take place and local and state authorities will have to yield in front of our federal laws. This country has the potential to be great, and undoubtedly it is on its way there. But it is ultimately our responsibility to bring about those changes and a new day when our nation can proudly say, “United we stand!

Daliah Husu is the author of “I Am Woman: Surviving the Past, the Present, & the Future,” and she can be found on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and her personal website.

[amazonjs asin=”B01F9FW99K” locale=”US” title=”I Am Woman: Surviving the Past, the Present, & the Future by Daliah Husu (2016-03-23)”]

I prayed when my son, Chris, who was assigned female at birth came out as transgender at age 12 that one day he would be able to experience a life of freedom as I had been given. I worried for his safety and delved into a comfortable role of advocate. I became my son’s bullet proof vest. I was in the front lines taking the bullets before they even dare look his way. I fought the bathroom battle with his school and with the help of the NYCLU I won. He has been using the boy’s room at school for almost 4 years without incident. As his senior year approached he obtained his driver’s license, got his first job and his first car just like I did at his age. I had hoped we were home free but freedom was just out of his grasp. He decided to go to a local community college next year in part because he feared how a college would handle the roommate, bathroom and locker room situation with a transgender student. I wanted to put his mind at ease but fear kept me from doing so. I would no longer be his comfortable bullet proof vest if he were to live away from home. We both have watched the anti-LGBT laws coming about this year with angst in our hearts. What if my son wanted to travel and was unsure of the latest bathroom bill along the way? Would my son’s life be put at risk when he needed to perform a basic human function? Instead of being excited for his future I began to fear his safety more and more when he was out of sight.

My fear dissipated a bit when the Federal government and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch took action and sued NC’s anti-LGBT HB2. My heart was filled with gratitude when Ms. Lynch spoke directly to transgender people and assured them that the government would not stand for discrimination of any kind. But, I also knew this was only one state. I knew we needed sweeping action to protect transgender people in every state and I worried with my son very quickly becoming a young man it may not come soon enough. I would soon breathe a sigh of relief when a hero brought me another life changing moment of freedom, as that early morning trip listening to In the Air Tonight did and that hero was: President Obama.

Dear President Obama,

Mary J. Moss

Feisty single mom to a terrific 17-year-old boy who just happens to be transgender.
Email me at: transparentmary@gmail.com
Tweet me at: @MsMaryMoss

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Author: Mary J. Moss

Proponents of HB2, which asserts that people must choose which public restroom to use based on their gender assigned at birth, paint a vicious campaign of transgender individuals as scheming, voyeuristic pedophiles that endanger the safety and well-being of women and children.

Alabama is already working to follow North Carolina’s example and just last week, conservative Christian activist group American Family Association received upwards of 744,800 signatures pledging to boycott Target stores over its decision to protect transgender rights in their bathrooms.

With tension rising and information being hurled into the conversation from all angles, there is one critical element being overlooked: the safety and well-being of transgender children.

What Are Transgender Children?

To understand gender nonconformity, it is important to understand the difference between sex and gender.

“The difference between sex and gender is this: Sex is a biological fact, gender is a social construction,” says Kevin Jennings, educational specialist and Executive Director of social justice and conservation foundation Arcus. Transgender identification is the realization by an individual-even as young as two years old — that their gender, or the identity they want to present themselves as, does not match their anatomy.

“Transgender is kind of an umbrella term that really describes a person who has an internal gender identity that is different than the one they were assigned at birth,” explains Johanna Olson, MD., a pediatrician in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Another category under this umbrella term is gender nonconforming, which Olson says can be used to describe children who are “not necessarily transgender” but who are “behaving or expressing their gender in a way that would be unexpected based on their genital anatomy.” In other words, this could be a boy-bodied person who prefers toys and activities often associated with girl-bodied children, such as dolls and playing with makeup, but who may not identify as a girl. Instead, the child may just have interests that don’t align with the current cultural expectations.

Transphobia

Since the media coverage of HB2, few outlets have reported on how this push for discrimination might affect children or teens who identify as transgender.

Developmental and clinical psychologist Diane Ehrensaft, PhD., notes that transgender youth often struggle during the onset of puberty, where unwelcome physical changes can provoke feelings of entrapment in a gender that just doesn’t feel right. Now imagine feeling bullied by the government, on top of mother nature.

Ehrensaft, the Director of Mental Health of the Child and Adolescent Gender Center in San Francisco, cites transphobia as one of the biggest issues facing adolescents that don’t identify with their assigned gender.

“It is not an easy world for transgender youth once they hit middle school and high school. The level of bullying and harassment goes up remarkably,” says Ehrensaft. “In its most unfortunate circumstances we read about children taking their own lives or [becoming victims of violent crimes] purely because of their gender presentation.”

Here are some alarming statistics from the Youth Suicide Prevention Program & National Center of Transgender Equality:

• 82% of transgender youth report that they feel unsafe at school
• 67% are cyberbullied
• 64% have their property stolen or destroyed

• Over 50% transgender children will attempt suicide at least once by age 20.
• Over 30% of LGBTQ children report at least one suicide attempt within the last year

• 44% report physical abuse (ex. Being punched, shoved, etc.)
• 19% experience violence or abuse from a family member

A New Perspective

Adults and children that do not consider themselves transgender are still a major part of the equation. Talking to your child about the facts on transgender and LGBT identities promotes cultural awareness while limiting the likeliness of bullying. Explain that gender identity is something a person is born with, that sometimes does not line up perfectly with a person’s physical appearance.

“It’s an immutable characteristic in part of your core being and your gender identity is not a choice,” Olson explains. Just as you and your child wake up each day and feel a desire to identify and perform a certain gender, you could’ve just as easily and just as genuinely been born feeling like a different gender.

It comes down to acceptance, education and understanding. To know the origin of gender formation is to understand the lack of input the person had in terms of how they identify their gender. Making fun of a child for coming out as transgender, or any of the identities under the LGBT umbrella, is as nonsensical as ridiculing a child for their height or hair color.

“When [transgender children] are allowed to transition and given support to affirm their gender…they match the mental health of the average teen who is also allowed just to be themselves,” says Ehrensaft.

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However, this day is about celebrating the living and showing our pride. It’s a day to look back at how far we’ve come and what we’ve accomplished and make plans to go even further in the coming year.

Despite some setbacks, we certainly do have a lot to celebrate.

Visibility Wins

Lavern Cox Proves She Isn’t Going Anywhere

Ms. Cox made waves when she hit the scene three years back by being cast as Sophia Burset in the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black”. What you might not know is that the talented 31-year-old actress has been working steadily for several years now leading up to her star-making turn. She has had roles in 13 movies, and many TV shows including two of the Law and Order series, and the Mindy Project. Not to mention she has been cast as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the upcoming remake of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. We are so excited for her success and we believe we can count on Lavern Cox being around for a long time. Hopefully, we will see her playing more women (period), and not just transgender women.

Our First Transgender Oscar Nominee

Anohni was the first transgender performer to ever be nominated for an Oscar. She was nominated for best original song for “Manta Ray”, which was a collaboration with J. Ralph and used in the documentary, “Racing Extinction”. A historic moment to be sure.

However, there is a loss in there too. Which you’ll see below.

Lilly Wachowski Joins Her Sister

We first reported about Lilly Wachowski, one half of the Wachowski directing duo, coming out as transgender a few weeks back. You, of course, know Lilly and Lana as the directors of the Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta, and Cloud Atlas. While her hand might have been forced in coming out, it’s a tremendous moment of visibility to have two high-profile directors like the Wachowskis both come out and further show, we aren’t on the fringe- and we will no longer settle for being put there.

Caitlyn Jenner Brings High-Profile Visibility

Despite her many…uh…flubs (we will get to them), Caitlyn Jenner made huge waves with her coming out this year. Never before had the community gotten so much mainstream media attention. While she has brought some negative attention as well, she has contributed by sparking a conversation about transgender people and forcing mainstream media to acknowledge us. And her magazine cover was pretty awesome too.

Larger Visibility in Politics

It has been a tumultuous year in politics for transgender people. However, there have been highlights. Mostly, the discourse and discord in politics over transgender people has really brought out who our allies are and who are at least willing to admit transgender people aren’t a clear and present danger. Even republicans like Stephanie Clayton (R) from Kansas, who spoke out against some egregious legislation that puts a bounty on trans students heads. She is opposing the bill, reminding congress that perhaps they should be more worried with keeping schools open and the dire financial situation they face, rather than worry about who is using what restroom.

Another show of support came in from Rep. Mike Honda, who proudly displays the transgender pride flag outside his office in Washington D.C.

I'm proud to display the #transgender flag outside my DC office on International Transgender Day of Visibility #tdov pic.twitter.com/EBnUFqmlK0

— Rep. Mike Honda (@RepMikeHonda) March 31, 2016

The entire city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada is showing their support by lighting up the city in pink, white and blue. That’s a lot of visibility.

Companies Standing Against Bigotry

There is currently some legislation in Georgia that threatens to remove any protections that are offered to LGBT people, in particular transgender people. While that is certainly not a win, there is a huge win that has come from it. Several businesses have stood up and said they will boycott the entire state including several studios threatening to cripple the Georgia Film Commission. Despite the lucrative incentives provided to draw studios to film there, many studios have stated that if the bill is passed that they will no longer be producing in Georgia. Marvel and Disney in particular have come out as strong opponents, as well as the producers of the hit show “The Walking Dead” who have threatened to pull all production.

Visibility Losses

Photo by Alice O’Malley

The Oscars Cut Anohni

While her nomination was a huge achievement and a great win for our community, it was soured by the Academy subsequently cutting Anohni’s performance at the Oscars in favor of other nominees in the category like Sam Smith, Lady Gaga, and the Weeknd. It was a strange move to not include this nominee when others were invited over her. Especially given the good will and visibility it would have given. Even if the Academy wanted to look at it selfishly, it would have been great publicity.

Now however, they have a different publicity as Anohni declined to attend the event due to her exclusion. She wrote about her reasoning for Pitchfork.

“I am the only transgendered performer ever to have been nominated for an Academy Award, and for that I thank the artists who nominated me,” the essay begins. Anohni adds: “I was in Asia when I found out the news. I rushed home to prepare something, in case the music nominees would be asked to perform. Everyone was calling with excited congratulations. A week later, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga, and the Weeknd were rolled out as the evening’s entertainment with more performers ‘soon to be announced.’ Confused, I sat and waited. Would someone be in touch? But as time bore on I heard nothing.”

Legislation Hasn’t Been Kind

Transgender people have gotten a lot of bad visibility in the form of legislation that seeks to target trans people and paint a target on their back. One such case, as we mentioned before, is in the form of legislation in Kansas that puts a $2500 bounty on the head of every trans student if they are caught in the “wrong bathroom”. And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the outrageous legislation that actually passed in North Carolina. The bill essentially undid the protections provided to transgender people in the state. However, it has been called out by the North Carolina Attorney General who called it “A national embarrassment.” The legislation is currently the focus of a lawsuit against the state and the governor that challenges their decision.

Caitlyn Jenner Won’t Shut Up

At first many were excited to see such a public figure as Caitlyn Jenner come out as transgender. After all, this is an Olympic athlete we are talking about. That’s huge! Then she talked. She has repeatedly put her foot in her mouth about other transgender people, criticizing their journey. Apparently everyone is supposed to just go schedule all of their surgery immediately and not worry about employment or homelessness. She has blasted less-fortunate transgender people for their use of public aid and lack of drive.

Not to mention that Caitlyn, a staunch Republican has publicly praised Donald Trump for president. She claims that he would be fantastic for women’s issues. A move that has baffled most multi-celled organisms. However she has stated that she hasn’t actually endorsed anyone and will instead be voting for whoever the Republican candidate winds up being. Jenner has also made comments condemning gay marriage, and stating that the Republicans would do so much more for transgender people.

She was recently quoted as saying, “I get criticized more for being a Republican than being transgender.”

Gee Caitlyn, I wonder why…

Our Visibility, and Our Future

While I and TOL honor the accomplishments of those that came before us and all the sacrifices they have made, I personally believe this is the single most important time in our history for transgender people. We stand on the precipice of something great. We have hit a “tipping point” in entertainment, we have youngerand younger people coming out and being encouraged and supported, we are part of a national conversation, and we have more public support than we’ve ever had. We are finally beginning to be taken seriously.

This is the time to seize the opportunity. We have to keep our momentum going and capitalize on how much we have going for us. No, it’s not perfect. Yes, we have so far to go. But we cannot ignore how far we’ve come. Those that came before us blazed an indelible trail. It is our time to pave that trail and take our place in society as valued and vital individuals.

We can do great things, if we work together. No more bickering and fighting. No more judging each other because their journey is different than yours. We are equals, we are brothers and sisters. We must hold each other up if we are to have any chance at winning this war.

Let’s see how great we can make the next 365. See you March 31st, 2017.

The companies behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and iconic superheroes like Spider-Man have vowed to stop making movies in the Peach State if Republican Gov. Nathan Deal signs the Free Exercise Protection Act, which was passed by lawmakers last week.

“Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies, and although we have had great experiences filming in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law,” a Disney spokesman said in a statement released Wednesday, the Washington Times reported.

The bill would permit Georgians to decline service for same-sex weddings to protect their religious beliefs from being violated. Supporters of the bill argue it has already been “gutted” to appease critics.

“The new version of the religious-liberty bill provides Religious Freedom Restoration Act levels of protection for certain protected persons, but it explicitly says these protections cannot apply in cases of ‘invidious discrimination,’ the Daily Signal reported March 18. “Of course, no one is in favor of invidious discrimination, but the problem is that in the hands of a liberal judge, everything looks like invidious discrimination even when it is not, such as religious universities or adoption agencies that want their policies to reflect their teachings on marriage.”

Religious-liberty bill could be costly for Georgia

The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau said Tuesday that Georgia could lose up to $6 billion if 15 companies that are threatening to take business elsewhere follow through with their word.

“It is unfortunate that the Georgia legislature caved to pressure from big business and special interests to water down their weakened bill even further. Other states must be vigilant against such cultural cronyism,” the Daily Signal’s Ryan Anderson wrote.

Deal has until May 3 to decide whether or not to sign the bill.

Posted with permission from WND

“Becoming Nicole”, from Random House, was written by Amy Ellis Nutt who is a Pulitzer prize-winning scientific reporter for the Washington Post. I am not familiar with her work there, but given her approach to this topic, I have no doubt she is a very talented scientific reporter. However, she stumbles very badly when trying to do justice to a narrative story.

First of all, I need to disclose that my experience was here was with the audio book, via Audible and read by the author, so that does add another element; and an element that does affect the overall rating. I have to say this because, and I mean no disrespect personally, but Ms Nutt should never be allowed to narrate a book again. Her monotone, emotionless, and mumble-mouthed reading of her own work is distracting and a huge mark against the book right out of the gate. Imagine, if you will, Droopy Dog- if Droopy were a middle-aged woman. You pretty much have her voice down. The biggest problem is that she is utterly emotionless throughout the book, treating clinically and never really driving home any of the emotion of this story.

With that out of the way, let’s talk a little about the focus of “Becoming Nicole”- the Maines. Kelly and Wayne Maines were a young couple that found themselves adopting twin boys from her teenage cousin when she found herself lacking options. In short order Wyatt began to show traits very different from his brother Jonas, and a childhood filled with gender dysphoria began.

Wyatt was certain at a very young age that he was a girl, and simply wanted to know when he would turn into a girl. With the strong support of her mother and brother, and a father that would eventually become her biggest supporter; Wyatt would realize her inner self as Nicole and live the life she knew she deserved.

It would not be easy though. Their journey would take them through bullies, hate groups, activism, antiquated ideals, school systems without answers, courtrooms, and even find themselves separated across the state from each other.

Truly, this family went through hell but came out on the other side even stronger than before, and filled with love and determination.

However Nutt does a poor job of stringing together this story on a narrative level, much less an emotional level. She finds herself mired in data, details, and minutia that do not add to the story and makes it very hard for her to build momentum as a story teller. One of the few times she manages to build real emotion is during a portion of the book that focuses on Nicole’s bullying by a young boy at the insistence of his bigoted grandfather. It is an emotional segment that underscores Nicole’s experience in grade school. That, however, gets railroaded by Nutt’s inexplicable delving into the grandfather’s military career without relating it to the story in any way whatsoever.

Where the book really falls down is in the uneven focus given to the subject. Chapters of narrative abut themselves against chapters that focus on the science, research, and medicine around transsexualism as well as chapters that focus on details of history that don’t relate to this particular story at all. It is as though Nutt tried to make this a catch-all book about transsexualism via the Maines’ story.

Had she written two books, one focusing on the facts and science of gender dysphoria and one that focused on the story of the Maines family, I would have probably given both of those books higher ratings. But together they only do a disservice to each other by doing justice to neither the science or the narrative.

Then, towards the end of the book, she begins to inexplicably gloss over topics and barely discuss them at all- giving us zero detail.

On the positives, a few occasions in “Becoming Nicole” do build some very real emotion- such as the bully incidents from above or Wayne’s growing acceptance of his daughter and their sharing a dance at a father/daughter event. And I found myself interested in the family and wanting to know more about Nicole as a person. However, I got to know more about Nicole as a collection of facts and details.