Nov. 13-17 was transgender awareness week, but we should continue to support the trans folks on campus after that.
Being transgender means to identify with a gender that is different than the one someone is assigned at birth. This includes a spectrum of identities and does not necessarily mean a person identifies as a man or a woman. Non-binary, genderqueer, agender and bigender are some of the other identities that fall under the trans gender umbrella.
The transgender community is one of the most vulnerable of the marginalized groups, and it is a community that has fought and won rights for gay, lesbian and bisexual people.
Trans people have a long and layered history, but many trans people were erased by time and history.
People who identify as trans have existed all throughout history and through many cultures.
Trans people helped build the queer rights movement. Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were two trans women of color who started the Stonewall Riots, a violent clash with the police over consistent raids of gay bars.
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy was also at Stonewall and now works with trans people in prison, who are often put into solitary confinement for their “safety” because they are often assaulted by other prisoners.
But, while trans people helped build the queer community to what it is today, they are the least recognized group.
Of the reported LGBTQ+ murders in 2015, 67 percent were trans people, according to GLAAD. However, according to the New York Times, trans people only make up one-sixth of the population as a whole.
46 percent of trans men and 41 percent of trans women have attempted suicide, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
According to the Washington Post, trans people are unemployed at twice the rate of the general population.
Trans people are often kicked out of their homes because of lack of support from parents.
Trans people are extremely misunderstood and underrepresented. There is also very little trans representation in media and even fewer media outlets accurately portray them.
If you want to support trans people on campus you can donate to the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Trevor Project or Trans Student Educational Resources.
Trans people are everywhere and they deserve love and support from their community, because they may not receive it at home or at work.
