Once in a while something comes along that is truly and frighteningly wrong. And last night I came across it.
A woman went into a DMV in Salt Lake City to renew her driver's license. She was mocked, ridiculed and forced to remove her makeup and pull back her hair before they would take her picture. The employees and a supervisor made anti-transgendered slurs and laughed at her.
This is the sort of transphobic behavior that leads to violence and worse among the transgendered community. It festers and hides in corners and then it's like a plague, hard to eradicate until you've seen half the population wiped out. It's also something that should never, EVER be tolerated.
Aren't we in the land of the free? With liberty, and justice, for all?
Apparently not so free and not so much liberty for some.
Now I understand perhaps you are uncomfortable with a transitioning person, maybe it's against your religious beliefs. I can't fault you if you say 'someone else will be helping you'. I don't agree that religion should be tossing stones at others but we'll come to that some other time. These employees acted like 5 year olds and what's worse, the supervisor followed suit. And now it's gotten out there and there's been a furor about it. I suspect it's gone pretty viral at least in the TG community by now.
Thank goodness that the upside is a woman named Amber stood in the faces of these bigots and shouted them down. I half-wonder if they realized this wasn't going to end well, retreated to secluded spots and started polishing their resumes. After all, I'm sure a future employer would look at them (imagine if they had an interview with a transgendered boss) and say 'Why did you leave your last job?' 'Ummm... I was fired for making anti-transgendered slurs.' I can see the outcome... 'don't call us, we'll call you...but don't count on that happening either.'
I'm not entirely sure why people should need counseling, but I guess it's just the status quo. If you are the majority and you think you have the power, you exercise that power without thought or question. But then when you realize how little power you wield and how much power can be found by others to counteract your position, you suddenly feel small and under a microscope. Perhaps it is a learning experience for these jerks who feel it's somehow considered okay to treat another person, another human being like this. Let's rewind and watch a few disturbing and inhumane films on the Nazis and their death-camps so we can realize again about man's inhumanity to man and lessons learned about that absolute power DOES corrupt absolutely.
And they aren't even in any sort of power. So let's be reminded of the fact, even if you think you have power, chances are pretty good you don't. So wield your five-year-old type slurs and laughter, act like a toddler in need of a good spanking.
We wish you would grow up in your future endeavors.
Here's the link to the story: http://prideinutah.com/?p=10545
This blog is about my dreams, goals and desires. A documentation of a journey through transgender life, finding my way, finding friends and sharing thoughts. My goal is to provide support, friendship and to share with the world someone who's been shut away far too long.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Hair today, hair tomorrow too!
One thing I like to do, or should I say one thing I'd like to do, is mess around with my hair. I want to figure out what works best, for me and grow from there.
Note, I didn't say "go".
For myself, as I know it is for most girls I know, we grow. Everyday. I don't mean we go from an A to a B cup or our hips are curvier today than yesterday (goodness knows how lovely those would be though!)
No, I mean we grow and in that I mean we learn and ask questions about ourselves, we confide like sisters or women who know something where men often stand around wondering what we are talking about. And it's a good thing.
Many feminine aspects of humanity are shown by those who form close-knit, personal friendships with people we admire, respect and in some cases, love. We truly desire a moment alone with someone whom we can talk to, one on one, whispering about this, giggling about that. You name it.
I take my own appearance pretty seriously. I think that's one thing that separates the passable from the not-so-passable. I like to look at clothes that are distinctive and make me look sharp as much as maybe they flatter my legs a little more or they are a little more daring than I might like.
And I watch... all the time I am looking at girls thinking 'that could work for me' or 'no way would I wear that'. But my whole appearance boils down to one thing.
Hair.
I can't deny that I am searching for that truly perfect hairstyle that will flatter me, look natural and expressive, and really make me open up inside. I love looking at genetic women's hairstyles, liking some things and perhaps not others. After all, we girls can be so finicky. :)
After many years of soul-searching and such, I've landed on a lightish brown/red as being the best for me. A sort of roan color, not too long, but not too short. I like something that will help conceal the neck a bit and throw off lovely shades in the spotlights of clubs when I am out with my friends. But not something that makes me too self-conscious. And, of course, something I can play with demurely when the time is appropriate! :)
So the hunt continues for that perfect style... I am not quite ready to settle for one style quite yet, but I am close. I'd like to get a consistency and a familiarity, that will only help passing to the general public. I can't say for sure what the end will be, since the future's always in motion, but I have a lot of ideas, a bunch of awesomely terrific friends and the chance to open up and be me more, which will all lead to more and more terrific memories as the future unfolds.
Happy times sisters!! Love ya!
Note, I didn't say "go".
For myself, as I know it is for most girls I know, we grow. Everyday. I don't mean we go from an A to a B cup or our hips are curvier today than yesterday (goodness knows how lovely those would be though!)
No, I mean we grow and in that I mean we learn and ask questions about ourselves, we confide like sisters or women who know something where men often stand around wondering what we are talking about. And it's a good thing.
Many feminine aspects of humanity are shown by those who form close-knit, personal friendships with people we admire, respect and in some cases, love. We truly desire a moment alone with someone whom we can talk to, one on one, whispering about this, giggling about that. You name it.
I take my own appearance pretty seriously. I think that's one thing that separates the passable from the not-so-passable. I like to look at clothes that are distinctive and make me look sharp as much as maybe they flatter my legs a little more or they are a little more daring than I might like.
And I watch... all the time I am looking at girls thinking 'that could work for me' or 'no way would I wear that'. But my whole appearance boils down to one thing.
Hair.
I can't deny that I am searching for that truly perfect hairstyle that will flatter me, look natural and expressive, and really make me open up inside. I love looking at genetic women's hairstyles, liking some things and perhaps not others. After all, we girls can be so finicky. :)
After many years of soul-searching and such, I've landed on a lightish brown/red as being the best for me. A sort of roan color, not too long, but not too short. I like something that will help conceal the neck a bit and throw off lovely shades in the spotlights of clubs when I am out with my friends. But not something that makes me too self-conscious. And, of course, something I can play with demurely when the time is appropriate! :)
So the hunt continues for that perfect style... I am not quite ready to settle for one style quite yet, but I am close. I'd like to get a consistency and a familiarity, that will only help passing to the general public. I can't say for sure what the end will be, since the future's always in motion, but I have a lot of ideas, a bunch of awesomely terrific friends and the chance to open up and be me more, which will all lead to more and more terrific memories as the future unfolds.
Happy times sisters!! Love ya!
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