A Diamond in the Rough
This article was originally going to list the various ways in which cis people have been making life worse for trans people. Upon reflection, I realise there are better trans writers who can write with much more venom than I could ever muster. Deservedly so. Instead, I wanted to use this Transgender Day of Visibility to share some positive thoughts and feelings as a transgender woman in the year 2022.
It’s been a rough 12 months, honestly. All of the anti-trans news has been getting to me, like I’m sure it has been for other trans people. With lockdowns, the Mhelody Bruno verdict, Dave Chappelle, the BBC, Lily Cade, Greg Abbott, Utah, Florida, the UK, the Vic Police, the Religious Discrimination Bill, a certain UK author, a certain Tasmanian senator, a former leader of the Labor party, the LGB Alliance, just to name a few, it’s astounding how we manage to get out of bed each morning.
However, I came to the realisation through all of the anti-trans bullshit that we trans people do a fantastic job through it all. I’m sure none of us signed up to be an activist when we decided to live, but here we are. Each of us have talents that we bring to the table. Some of us are good at sharing information where it’s needed. Some of us attend protests. Some of us volunteer, others donate to trans causes. Some of us nurture other trans people in times of need while others fight to defend the rest of us. We have union members, graphic designers, doctors, writers, lawyers, tradespeople, accountants, politicians, athletes, data analysts, scientists, and many other trans people in a variety of professions who can combine their skills with their experience to fight transphobia. Go us!
We have some amazing role models in our community too including Jamie Raines, Elliot Page, Kate Bornstein, Julia Serano, Wendy Carlos, Sally Goldner and Julie Peters. Someone who I found to be an inspiration recently is Jen Ives who was harassed by a gender critical person at an LGBA event and didn’t give them any reaction.
I continue to consume plenty of trans media to learn more about the past and present, however I’ll admit my bias leans more towards content about trans women as they are stories I can relate to. I still consume content by/about trans guys and non-binary people, just not as much. Here are some of the most recent pieces of trans media I have consumed:
- Book, “To My Trans Sisters” by Charlie Craggs which had some unique experiences from several prominent trans women.
- Song, “Love In The Dark” by Plastic Martyr who I only recently discovered thanks to some posts she made on Twitter. (Thanks, TERFs!)
- Article, “I want to talk about visibility” written by Ruby Quail which became the inspiration for this article.
- Radio Show, “Out of the Pan” hosted by Sally Goldner and held on 3CR’s Trans Day of Audibility.
- Documentary, “Moving In Between” about a Korean trans woman named Erika who wants to move to Japan.
- TV Series, “Veneno” which cast trans women in trans roles including the fabulous Lola Rodriguez and the late Isabel Torres.
- Podcast, “Harsh Reality” which pays tribute to the life of Miriam Rivera and the effects of the reality show, “There’s Something About Miriam.”
- Film, “The Matrix Resurrections” directed by Lana Wachowski and my favourite film franchise.
The point I’m trying to make is that there are plenty of amazing trans creators and stories out there and I can recommend loads more. This kind of representation didn’t really exist when I was young. I’m so glad to see it today.
It is very easy to list all the negativity us trans people are enduring. It sucks and I hate that we all have to fight it (sometimes alone). But remember why Rachel Crandall created Trans Day of Visibility — to celebrate us. In the words of Karleigh Chardonnay Webb,
“Transphobia is global so trans liberation has to be global.”
Let’s start posting more trans positivity to combat this world of hate. It’s better for our Twitter feed and our lives.
