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Trans Awareness Week: A Brief History of Trans Rights and How the Rest of the Community Can Be Better Allies



This week is trans awareness week. From November 12-19, we want to raise awareness of the unique issues trans and gender nonconforming people face every day. The week is followed by the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to pause and honour the lives lost by hate crimes and anti-trans violence.

 

The Remembrance Day can trace its origins back to 1998, when trans activist Gwendolyn Ann Smithhosted a vigil to honour the memory of Rita Hester, who was brutally murdered. The vigil became an annual event honouring all the lives that were unfortunately lost every year.

 

“I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost,"said Smith. "With so many seeking to erase transgender people -- sometimes in the most brutal ways possible -- it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice."

 

A Brief History of Trans Rights

 

Throughout history, almost every culture and country in the world has had their own version of trans people.In the west, the first sex change operations were done by Dr Felix Abraham. He performed a mastectomy on a trans man in 1926, a penectomy on his domestic servant Dora in 1930, and a vaginoplasty on Lili Elbe, a Danish painter, in 1931. Lili Elbe (subject of the recent film The Danish Girl) unfortunately died two years later due to complications from the surgery.

 

The first trans person to bring real visibility to the community was Christine Jorgensen. Jorgensen, a former American GI, returned from Denmark as a woman and became almost instantly famous.

 

"Her very public life after her 1952 transition and surgery was a model for other transsexuals for decades,” her obituary wrote. “She was a tireless lecturer on the subject of transsexuality, pleading for understanding from a public that all too often wanted to see transsexuals as freaks or perverts ... Ms Jorgensen's poise, charm, and wit won the hearts of millions."



 

In the latter half of the twentieth century trans rights excelledas people became more exposed to their struggles and medical techniques allowed more dignified transitions. In 1972, Sweden became the first country to allow people to legally change their gender. In 1977, Renee Richards won a landmark court case in the US to play tennis in the women’s league. In 1993, the murder of Brandon Teena in Nebraska brought an international spotlight to hate crime faced by trans people – and was later adapted into the film ‘Boys Don’t Cry’.

 

In 2002, the Transgender Law Centre is founded and began working on legal reforms to help trans people live their authentic lives, this is followed by the 2002 founding of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and the 2003 founding of the National Centre for Transgender Equality. Candis Cayne became the first trans woman to land a starring role in a primetime drama, in 2007’s Dirty Sexy Money.

 

Following Cayne more and more trans peopled entered the media. Isis King was the first trans model to win America’s Next Top Model in 2008. Chaz Bono announced he was trans in 2009. Janet Mock, the editor of People.com, came out as trans in 2011. Miss Universe allows trans contestants to enter in 2012. And, Orange is the New Black premieres in 2013, with Laverne Cox playing one of the leads and shifting the national conversation to trans rights.

 

How to be a Better Trans Ally

 

The UK Trades Union Congress recommends five ways we can all be better allies to the trans community.

 

The first step is to seek out information about the community. It’s important not to bombard a trans person with questions, but be respectful. If you don’t know a trans person there are lots of resources available to educate yourself.

 

Once you’ve familiarised yourself with key terms, issues and the history of trans rights you should use this knowledge to speak up for trans people. If you see transphobia happening say something. Correct other people’s misconceptions and help people understand trans people are, at the end of the day, just people like everybody else.


Correct other people’s misconceptions and help people understand trans people are, at the end of the day, just people like everybody else.

 

Many trans people have said they feel isolated at work and in social environments. If you have a trans colleague or friend include them and make them feel welcome.

 

If you engage with a trans person make sure you listen to them, as simple as it sounds. Challenge your own misconceptions, listen for the right pronoun to use, and be open to learning. If you release you’ve made a mistake just apologise and move on.

 

Finally, respect a trans person’s boundaries. You wouldn’t ask a stranger, or even a friend, about the status of their genitals, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask a trans person. Be mindful of the questions you ask.

 

We can all be better allies, all it takes is patience and a willingness to grow.



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