Resilient Pride

Welcome to Pride Month. I am already flying my Progressive Pride Banner, and I joined my friend Tiffany on Thursday evening to attend the Interfaith Pride Prayer event. I was surprised to discover my friend Anna Zumwalt is a Zen Priestess. One of the speakers, a trans boy of 16, told his story, and mentioned that the trans suicide attempt rate in Utah is above 50%, and only around 8% (1 in 12) trans people feel accepted here. If those numbers are correct, it is really disheartening, since it is more that a 10% uptick over 10 years ago, when the national attempted suicide rate was around 42%. I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the Utah State Legislature and the LDS church, who have consistently raised barriers to care for our transgender youth over the interim.

At the same time, I am encouraged by the number of trans individuals who have developed the resiliency to whether the storm and live their authentic selves. It is promising that I now see transgender people on a daily basis, and finding connection is other places than LGBT bars, and support groups. Ten years ago, this was not the case; I felt as if I were the only trans person living in the open. For this, I credit the deliberately welcoming congregations, legislators that fight for our rights against overwhelming odds, the passage of pro-trans bills like nondiscrimination and non-reparative therapy, supportive employers and schools, advocacy groups and the ACLU of Utah, pro-trans therapists, and accepting friends and family. I also credit the supportive communities that voted for a trans person every time I or someone else ran. Support really has and really does make a difference.

The resiliency of the trans community surprises me at times. It is so far from where we were 13 years ago, when people were afraid to come out of the closet and stand up for themselves. Now I see a community that knows who they are, and know that no one can take their identity away from them. I see a community that demands respect, and will stand their ground for their rights, and is not afraid to do so. I also see a community that has learned to fight with a sense of humor, to disarm those who would take the rights away with a smile and a laugh.

This week, I finished reading The Lightning Thief. In the book, Percy loses his mother, discovers his friend is a satyr, and finds out his Latin teacher is Chiron the centaur. He meets the Greek god Dionysus, who has been ordered by Zeus to drink diet cokes instead of wine. As the newest member of the half-blood camp, he discovers which cabin is his, and then must undertake a quest to save the world.

I relate to the character Percy Jackson when it sometimes feels like all the powers of the Universe are stacked up against you, but somehow still expecting something from you. I started reading this book 11 years ago when one of my daughters said she was reading it, and for some reason only made it just over 80% of the way through. This month, the West Valley Performing Arts Center is presenting the rock musical version, and I bought tickets for a friend and me to attend on June 13th.

I also finished reading The Personal Librarian, an historical novel about the life of Belle da Costa Greene, who oversaw J.P. Morgan’s personal library. Belle lived during a time when lynching was on the rise after Reconstruction was rolled back. Her father was an equal rights advocate, and her mother feared they would have to assimilate as white people, keeping their colored status in the closet. It tore their marriage apart, and Belle had to walk a tight rope during her life. If she was outed, it could destroy her and her family.

I've been preparing for the ACLU Biennial Leadership Conference in Atlanta next weekend. I've been asked to sit on a panel discussing trans justice. The panel members had a chance to meet with the moderator last week, and we have a working outline for our discussion. I also have notes from the ACLU of Utah Executive Director that I can review before the panel about the myriad ways that the ACLU Utah affiliate has been fighting for trans rights. I'm not sure, but I think I was recommended to the panel by the former Executive Director of Equality Utah. Either way, I'm honored to be serving on the panel. The aspect I’ve been asked to talk about is about building resiliency and grass roots, and hope I can do the topic justice.