Transgender Day Of Remembrance 2018

Personally, I have not known anyone who has been killed, but I have known one girl who committed suicide back in the '90's. I think about her a lot at this time of year, even more so when times are hard for myself. I suppose thats why I get a little over protective of the wonderful people in my life and want to make sure that they are ok and that they are not alone. I like to think that we all, think about, not just those that have been killed but others that we have lost.

This year, the amount of deaths has gone up, and it is increasing every year. As much as I would love to lay blame, solely at the perpetrators feet, I think society, the media and dare I say political leaders of those countries are to blame as well. Far to little is being done to educate those that do not understand, and if I am blatantly honest, there is nothing to understand, you just need to accept that, this is who we are, the same way we accept everyone else for being who they are.

What continually amazes me, is the pathetic arguments that come out in the name of "god", yes I'm actually going to go there. I know a lot of people who have strong beliefs, from one faith to another, and I totally respect that. I open heartedly do. But this is the 21st century! We do not require a guide book of fables, to tell us, what is real and what isn't, how to love, live and how to hate. It is these books, and their misinterpretation, that are creating those, narcissistic, bigoted hateful people who are using our lives, our existence, to justify inciting hatred, for what, for political and monetary gain. Whilst that works for those who are in the spotlight it produces a pathetic drone, that drone, will follow those words spoken in the papers and on the television and will go out and act upon the hateful speech from those in the public eye.

Change will never start at the lower levels of society, it has to come from the top, yes passing laws on hate speech and hate crimes, is a good start. It will never stop the hated we all face each and every day. The problem lies at the top. It is their example that people follow. I hate saying this but what happens in America, mostly happens here, a year or two later, President Obama, did a lot of good for the LGBTQ+ community, only to have it wiped out by President Trump, so right wing followers, think that it is ok to call us scum and remove our rights cos the Mr Trump say so. The same in the UK. I continually ask why the hell is Theresa May pushing a reform on the Gender Recognition Act? She has never voted for or attended a vote for anything that will/has help the LGBTQ+ community in the past, my only conclusion is that it is to score some sort of political points.

Growing up in the 70's and 80's I know far too well how easy it is just to follow the mainstream of thought, to be bigoted and racist, just to fit in, and if you spoke out about that, then you was a freak, I did speak out, I also followed the main stream, and I hate myself for that, I find that these days it is easier to speak out, to tell people that it isn't right to say those words, to stand up for those oppressed, to do the decent thing. 

I have never managed to get to a Transgender Day Of Remembrance vigil. Work does get in the way, and I do have to pay my bills, but that doesn't stop me from sitting in the van and remembering all the people that have lost they right to exist. I don't care where you are from, what you believe, just that, some part of you can actually sit there and say, this is wrong, society needs to change and that you would like to see that happen. 

Please on the 20th November this year, think about the 369 people that have been murdered.

I wrote the poem below,

With hope, I pray,
There will be a day,
That I can live my life.
That I can live to be free,
Free from incessant, feeling of shameful hate,
Fuelled by those, those with such disdain,
That would see us killed in some pathetic name,
How hard can it be, to just plainly see.
I just want to be.
I need to be me.
I just want to love,
To feel those things,
That you take for granted, whilst attacking me.
But it’s not just me, that you attack for free,
you attack society, with your bigoted glee.
I hope, I pray, that soon you’ll see,
To be tormented by you,
For what?
For being me?
Is a waste of your time, your life, your breath.
That could be positively spent, on others that need.
Those others that need, are standing with me,
Remembering those,
who are now,
Forever free.

The video below not only includes the names of those who have been murdered, but those who felt the need to take their own life, within this past year.