Working Together to End Discrimination
I am sure we have all felt the hand of discrimination on us at one time or the other. I have been lucky for the most part in that I have had very little discrimination directed at me; but when I have gotten it , the discrimination was from within our community and from the GLB community as well. I guess I had been expecting attacks from the so called "straight society" but they on the most part have been very tolerant. I of course have not been trying to make waves there but just trying to blend in. So when I got attacks from the groups where I had expected acceptance, it was a bitter pill to swallow.Having gained some fame as a columnist (LOL), I am becoming more of an activist in some ways. I have been working with others trying to get corporations, municipalities , states and federal governments to enact policies and legislation to protect our rights as individuals and to not be discriminated against because of our gender identity. Now we as a minority have hitched our little red wagon to the larger bandwagon of the GLB agenda, because they have a much louder and stronger voice than we do. This partnership is a good fit to obtain our common goals. However, how can we present a united front when we discriminate against one another?
How can we as a group try to bridge the differences we all have within the GLBT community and become that one united voice that shouts to the world that we are human being and we deserve the rights that everyone else has as to housing, jobs, medical coverage, and benefits? One thing that we as individuals can do is become involved in the projects and activities of the GLB groups. I know one girl who is a volunteer at a lesbian library a few hours every week. Jessica Britton co-chaired our state’s PRIDE event and to my knowledge is the first and only TG person to host a Pride event. I know of other who volunteers in AIDS events. There are a group of girls who attend just about every GLB fund raiser event in their area (they are just looking for an excuse to get out). What it boils down to is that these individuals are participating in positive ways within the communities. They are being seen as TG and are being welcomed and accepted from within these groups. Each one is breaking down a barrier in their own individual way and in turn they are helping bridge the gaps the exist between us. At one of my support groups, gays and lesbians have begun to attend solely because one of our members has become personally involved in their community. Our support group now receives invitations to all the GLB events and that is all because of one person. We too can be that one person that opens up a door and bridges a gulf and becomes a positive force in our world. I urge you all to take on this challenge to support a GLB community event. It would be a great project for a support group to adopt. Go and be seen as just another human being trying to make the world a better place and maybe you will be the one that ends discrimination between us.
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