Today is the Trans Day Of Remembrance -- A day to remember our forgotten siblings who have perished under the cruel regimes of the world that held them prisoners in their own bodies, their own identities. To the bastards who slew them, or that brought them to such misery that life was so fraught as to no longer seem worth living.
Today we remember those not those who we have left behind, but rather, those we carry with us still, even in their absence, for their stories will always be a part of us.
Today we must also remember all those whose stories were never known to us, because they buried it, hidden deep away, and left us before their time, because they could bear neither the danger and burden of being open, nor to hold a fundamental part of themselves so secret.
Today we remember those who are still with us. We remember what we've been through, and how far we've come. We remember how far we have to go. We remember that the very slim rights barely afforded to us that many of us may take for granted here, are not the same in other places around the world, or even in other places around the country.
We remember that transgender individuals in the US are 4500% more likely to be homeless than individuals whose gender identity matches the one they were assigned at birth.
We remember the suffering of our fallen and our living. We remember the passion and vibrancy too. We celebrate those who are still with us.
Today we remember, we remind ourselves, that trans rights are human rights.
Much love to you all. May we hold strong, hold steady, and find the community and peace we need to stay afloat.
Solidarity forever.