2016 Transgender Day of Remembrance

This last week on November 20, 2016 was the 18th International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) where (held every November) "trans and gender-diverse persons to be added to the list of those to be remembered, mourned, and honored." This year there were 295 named of individuals that were murdered, pretty much because they dared to show and express to the world who they truly were. Some of the more horrific causes of death include being "stoned to death," "17 gun shots and run over by car" and "burned beyond recognition" with more able to seen on the TDOR list.

I can understand having debates on peoples feelings over the bathroom or such things, but NOBODY deserves to be killed for being transgender, non-binary, etc. There really isn't a way to view this other than the latest vogue of hate crimes. People are people for crying out loud and while differing views are out there, not respecting a human beings right to live in just inexcusable. In a sight such as Steemit, you have to see how this just flat out breaks the Non-Aggression Pact that many of us here seem to hold dear. There is absolutely no way to excuse these deaths are self defense.

Even here in the USA where we're sometimes seen to be more 'progressive' than other parts of the world, saw 23 such killings occur in the last year. Since 2008, when these TDOR lists were started, there have been 2,264 reported killings of trans and gender-diverse people in 68 countries worldwide.

Transgender/Gender-Diverse Reported Killings 2008-2016

It is worth noting that

"the close connection between the existence of strong trans movements and professional monitoring, on the one hand, and highest absolute numbers of reports, on the other hand, point to the worrisome question of unreported cases. Beside the need for mechanisms to protect trans and gender-diverse people, this connection also shows the need for strong trans communities and organisations, which are capable of professional monitoring and reporting of violence against trans and gender-diverse people. This connection results in the figures showing only the tip of the iceberg of homicides of trans and gender-diverse people on a worldwide scale."
-Source

The Trouble With Transgender Awareness

Growing up during the 1980's, I saw the expansion of Gay awareness campaigns kick in and progress over the years. Nowadays the vast majority of the population fall into the statistic of knowing or loving somebody who is gay. I truly believe that the success of this awareness campaign over the last 30 years was a major factor leading to the right of same-sex marriage. People tend to be afraid or uncomfortable about things they don't know or understand...these awareness campaigns directly confront that both by pushing those in the Gay community to more openly discuss and/or present their orientation with family and friends. This drive to share who they are (and this doesn't mean they're trying to convert others) has led to a vastly greater understanding by the non-gay/straight community and a greater acceptance of an individuals sexual orientation choices.

Typically you aren't able to simply look at a person and tell what sexual orientation they prefer. Many times it takes meeting their significant other, having that 'soul sharing' conversation or other such ways to convey this. For transgender people, this isn't usually the case, being noticed and seen in public, often with the desire to 'pass' as the gender they're presenting. Often fear of harassment or ridicule cause many to hide who they are well down their transition path including hormones, 'top and/or bottom' surgery, sometimes facial surgeries, etc. This means that frequently you may already know somebody who is transgender but had no idea! With regards to the Transgender awareness over the years, this was somewhat of a catch-22 situation of,

I want to 'pass' so I feel comfortable, meaning that others don't know I'm Trans

I will note that many transgender people don't have this option to pass for myriad reasons including and beyond the actual costs. Personally, when I'm in public, I assume people know I'm transgender, just feeling that it can be seen. I'm fine with this myself and it's definitely has it's pros and cons. I will note that I'm not telling any trans/gender-diverse person how they should go about their methodology or feelings on passing, this is purely MY choice and situation.

There has been a HUGE boost in transgender and gender-diverse awareness on the recent years including Laverne Cox from Orange is the New Black, Kristin Beck, former Navy Seal and Congressional Candidate and the list goes on. The awareness campaign in my eyes is stronger than ever, but this has also lead to a lot of backlash.