“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”
Edward Everett Hale, Unitarian minister and author
I’m not sure what else I can do yet, but I surely can start by not keeping silent. So here we go.
Y’all.
And by y’all I mean those who, like me, are cisgender (denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex, which you should all know by now).
Our trans siblings - fellow colleagues, congregants, family members - are hurting. Are scared. Are traumatized.
Because there are people out there - some with legislative and executive power - who want to eliminate transfolk. Not just make it impossible to be trans in public, but actually criminalize trans-ness so that no one is trans.
Yes, this has happened too many times before for too many segments of our populations. And usually to populations with high suicide and murder rates because - and I don’t say this lightly - other people don’t want to be at all uncomfortable. What drives so much of this is nothing other than a fear of the unknown - and in this case, a side order of “ick.”
This time it’s a concerted effort across several states to outlaw drag, to prohibit the sale of gender-affirming pharmaceuticals, to criminalize not just being trans but supporting those we love in their trans-ness. To ensure that those who are trans are not able to be trans in America.
Someone recently called it genocide, and I know in my gut that’s the right term.
You probably know a lot of this, or are somewhat aware of all this, because you’re attentive to the news.
But awareness isn’t enough. We can’t let this one pass us by. This is a slice of the justice pie we all have a stake in, because it’s about the people sitting next to us in worship, in committee meetings, at the dinner table, on the bus, at work, etc. These are real lives with a real identity.
Their identity - their existence - is not up for debate.
Our faith (and I’m talking primarily to Unitarian Universalists here, but this should resonate in other faiths too) is a life-saving faith. We save lives. We have done for a couple of centuries, and there’s no reason to suggest we should stop now.
With all that being said, some of our congregations are not safe for trans folk.
And they’re asking.
They want to know where they can go where they can be safe and supported.
How safe and supportive is your congregation for trans folk and the people who love them?
Are there people who refuse to use chosen names and pronouns because they’re curmudgeonly (and not in a good way)?
Are there people who “forget” they exist when planning activities, speaking from the pulpit, nominating leaders, running religious education programs?
Are you actively fighting for them the way you fight for reproductive rights, climate justice, and anti-racism?
Are you providing sanctuary and public safety for trans folk? Are you respecting their need for privacy (when requested)?
Have you done the updated work required by the Welcoming Congregations program?
Have you engaged the Transforming Hearts Collective, either through their workshops and classes or invitations for preaching?
Have you asked the trans folk in your life what they need? How you can be a good ally to them?
I’m sure there’s tons of resources and trainings and public actions and oh so much more to be done - there always is. But whatever you find that supports our ability to save trans lives? Do it.
RIGHT NOW is when it has to be done.
I can’t say this strongly enough: Lives are at stake.
If you got to this paragraph and are thinking “yeah, yeah, everything is on fire” and are planning to go on with your day without giving this another thought, please… take just one hour to focus on this. And I have just the thing: Yesterday’s episode of The VUU featuring members of the LREDA board. Please take the hour to watch and/or listen.
Adding a resource on how to do some of this work at state houses: https://sidewithlove.org/ourstories/2022/3/17/combating-anti-trans-legislation
Well said. I’d also encourage people to read the work of trans journalists. Erin Reed’s blog Erin in the Morning here on Substack is a great way to stay informed about the litany of legislation designed to eliminate trans people from public life. Brynn Tannehill is a contributor at Dame Magazine and her work is absolutely worth reading. Those two come to mind immediately, but there are others that escape me at the moment. Start there, keep reading, invite trans people to share their stories at your services, speak up when you hear falsehoods about the trans community, and realize that authoritarians don’t stop with one group they don’t like. We’re just the first on their list.