Trans Awareness Week 12 - 20th

What is Trans Awareness Week?: Transgender Awareness Week was developed to help raise the visibility of transgender and gender non- conforming people, and address the issues the community faces. Also, after Transgender Awareness Week is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), an annual observance on that honors the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

Why was Transgender Day of Remembrance Created?: Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor her memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence that year and began an important memorial that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Terminology:

Transgender: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.

Gender Nonconforming: A broad term referring to people who do not behave in a way that conforms to the traditional expectations of their gender, or whose gender expression does not fit neatly into a category.

Genderqueer: Genderqueer people typically reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and often, though not always, sexual orientation. People who identify as "genderqueer" may see themselves as being both male and female, neither male nor female or as falling completely outside these categories.

Gender Fluid: Someone whose gender identity is not fixed. They could be a mix of genders, one gender one day and then later on feel like another, no gender, etc.

Agender: A person who identifies as genderless or lacking a gender.

Cisgender: A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.

Facts/Dispelling Myths:

- “They/Them/Theirs” is a valid pronoun to refer to someone in the singular use. It’s word of the year since 2015. And you probably already use it in sentences. - There’s no surgery needed to be transgender. If someone comes out to you and says they’re trans, that’s it. They don’t need to act/dress/behave differently. They don’t need surgery or a medical evaluation. - Children as young as 5 know their gender and understand gender roles. Transgender children quickly and consistently understand their gender identity the same as cisgender children.

Timeline of Recent Events:

January 2017: All mentions of LGBTQ+ issues were removed from the official White House webpage.

February 2017: The US Departments of Justice and Education revoked guidance detailing school protections for transgender students under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

March 2017: Housing and Urban Development withdrew a requirement for emergency shelters receiving HUD funding to post information about LGBTQ+ people’s rights to access the shelter safely and in accordance with their gender identity

March 2017: The Presidential Administration killed a plan to collect data regarding sexual orientation and gender identity from the American Community Survey conducted by the Census Bureau. This disrupts programs providing direct assistance to the LGBTQ+ community.

May 2017: An executive order was signed giving AG Sessions discretion to create a license-to-discriminate in agencies across the federal government against LGBTQ+ Americans and women.

July 2017: An announcement that transgender troops would be banned from the US military. The federal courts have prevented the ban from taking effect.

July 2017: The Department of Justice released a memo asserting that federal civil rights laws does not protect transgender people from discrimination at work.

October 2017: The DoJ issued a memo to government lawyers that rescinded protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1965 apply to transgender people.

December 2017: The Department of Health and Human Services are told they should avoid using certain words/phrases in official documents. The words to avoid: "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender," "fetus," "evidence-based" and "science-based."

February 2018: The Department of Education releases an announcement that they will refuse to respond to civil rights complaints filed by transgender students who are barred from using the bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.

May 2018: The administration ordered the Bureau of Prisons to use “biological sex” in determining how transgender prisoners are assigned housing. This rolls back the guidance memo from the previous administration about the intake, supervision, medical treatment, housing, and pronoun use for transgender inmates.

October 2018: The Department of Health and Human Services is spearheading an effort to establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that bans gender discrimination in education programs that receive government financial assistance, as only male and female. This will erase intersex people and transgender people.

Notable Figures:

• Ben Barres, M.D., Ph. D. - Professor of Neurobiology and Developmental Biology, Stanford University: He has pioneered the development of novel methods for the purification and culture of neurons and glial cells. • Schuyler Bailar - American Swimmer NCAA Division I : Schuyler Bailar is the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer. He was recruited by Harvard University Men's Swimming and Diving team. • Sgt. Shane Ortega - US Army Sergeant: Shane Ortega was a transgender American soldier U.S. Army. Sergeant serving at Wheeler Airfield in Oahu, Hawaii as a helicopter crew chief in the Army's 25th Infantry Division. • Natasha Jimenez - Trans and Intersex activist and author: Natasha Jiménez is a trans and intersex activist and author. She is currently on an advisory board member for the first intersex human rights fund. • Tamara Adrian - Venezuelan Politician: She is the first transgender person elected to office in Venezuela. In office, Adrián promotes proper access to public records on identity, samesex marriage and human rights. • Rev. Lawerence T. Richardson - Minister United Church of Christ: Richardson became an ordained transgender minister and joined the United Church of Christ community. He says, “I used to be a miserable person … physically sick and depressed all the time; and if I can be transformed and made whole by the love of God, anyone can be!” • Christine Hallquist - Vermont Governor. First transgender nominee for governor from either major party. She was elected in 2018.

What Can You Do as an Ally?

• Use people’s pronouns • Use inclusive language • Confront anti-trans remarks/jokes • Listen and provide resources • Respect privacy and confidentiality • Influence positive change • Respect and stay open