Ramblings of a Reluctant Activist
The Serenity Prayer
God
grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to
change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
*
Generally speaking, we live in a very intolerant world. I am constantly amazed at the injustice and inhumanity that so many people are forced to endure simply because of fear, hatred, ignorance, intolerance, and indifference. I am not so naive to believe that I can single-handedly change much of that. Nor am I optimist enough to believe that these things will change significantly in my lifetime. That, however, will not prevent me from doing my part.
I do not consider myself to be a religious person in the typical context. In fact, I make a specific distinction between being "spiritual" and being religious. That is a far-too-deep discussion for another forum and another day....
However, I find that the Serenity Prayer truly exemplifies my outlook on life. In fact, as I started my transition I owned one single necklace. It had a dove of peace on the front, and the Serenity Prayer engraved on the back...as a constant reminder of those words and what they represent.
This is a very personal struggle. It'd be easy to say that I really don't care what others think about me, and in some ways that's true. I've grown some thick skin that continues to serve me well. However, the reason that all this has been so hard from the very beginning is the fact that our society continues to invalidate transgendered people in ways that can have tragic consequences. I can either accept that, or find the courage to change it in my own little world. If enough of us can do this, perhaps our own little worlds will become big enough to make a difference, and future generations will have an easier path.
I've never considered myself an activist. Somehow, I don't like the connotations of the word. I prefer to call myself an "advocate of social change". No matter how you slice it, though, creating change requires some level of effort. The heart of my own personal efforts are all about education, so I expect you'll see that as a single thread that runs through my various exploits.
Let me be clear - my efforts at education and empowerment are not limited to the transgender community. My view of the world is more complicated and interconnected than that. Social justice, acceptance of diversity, freedom of expression - these are the deeper issues involved in the efforts I support.
I intend to use the space on this page to highlight some things that I find difficult to accept, and my own advocacy efforts for change. Although I'm sure these efforts will be interspersed throughout my little web empire, I don't want to bore others with too many specifics. If you want to learn details, this page will have them.
Donna's Advocacy/Activist Links
To start, I'd like to provide links for organizations in which I'm involved. Some are trans- related while some aren't. I feel that it's critical to branch out of our own little world and get broader visibility in larger forums. If you want to find ways to get involved, too, please let me know. I can provide contact names.
The transgender community needs to ensure that there is visibility to our unique needs, concerns, and issues. Pragmatists will realize that we will not be successful by ourselves, and that developing strategic alliances will be key to the things that happen over the next few years: politically, socially, and legally. Those who will support us need our help
- our involvement, our leadership, and our financial support.Support can be as simple as showing up for a meeting. It can involve going to a dinner, writing a letter, or sending a check for $35 or $40 to become a member. Or, it can be participating on a steering committee - meeting people, educating them, giving them ideas. Each of us has an opportunity to educate simply by being ourselves, and I think we overlook that way too often.
Part of the difficulty we've had in the past is that we're often an invisible community - those of us who can fade into society do it and don't have a lasting presence as a trans person. I strongly urge our community to participate as visible trans- men and women. That's the only way our presence will be known. And while I understand the reluctance that many feel to be "out", all I can say is that I've found my own unique balance where I can be out and active in the places and situations where I need to, while NOT out when there's just no need. That's part of my own unique balance in life - and I think you'll find that involvement can be a wonderfully empowering thing.
I also encourage you to let the past be the past. Certainly, there have been some issues. Nobody can change that. What we can change, however, is the present. And the future. The only way to be sure that this is done is to become involved.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
National Center for Transgender Equality
Arizona Human Rights Fund (AHRF)
GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders)
Transgender Law and Policy Institute
That's quite a list! No wonder I have so little free time.... :)