Here are the things that caught my attention this week. 🙂
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation presents Time To THRIVE, the inaugural national conference promoting safety, inclusion and well-being for LGBTQ youth…everywhere! Time to THRIVE will take place over Presidents’ Day Weekend (February 14-16, 2014) at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The conference provides a “one-stop-shop” opportunity for youth-serving professionals to build the awareness and cultural competency, learn current and emerging best practices, and gather resources from leading experts and national organizations in the field.
Check out the conference website: www.TimeToThrive.org
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PFLAG National — through its Straight for Equality project — is working on a new resource to invite, educate and engage allies of people who are transgender and gender nonconforming and they need your help! They are looking for your answers to the following questions:
1. If you consider yourself a trans ally please share your answer to this question:
What was the turning point or event that led you to support inclusion and equality for people who are transgender?
2. If you identify as trans or gender nonconforming please share your answer to one of the following questions:
Can you share a story about a time where an ally (or lack of one) had a real impact on your life?
Based on your personal experience, if you could tell trans allies one thing what would it be?
3. If you are the parent of a trans or gender nonconforming child/youth please share your answer to one of the following questions. If your child is comfortable with providing her/his own feedback, we’d genuinely appreciate the input!
What was there the turning point that led you to become an advocate for your child?
What roles have non-family allies played in you/your child’s life?
Answer the questions in four to five sentences each and submit your responses to jhenkel@pflag.org. They’ll review the feedback, and if your response is used for the publication, they will contact you directly to confirm. Only first names, ages and locations (e.g., city and state) will be used in the publication.
Learn more here: http://www.straightforequality.org/questions
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Stonewall National Education Project’s second national symposium will be held on March 3-5 in Los Angeles.
At the conference, Stonewall National Education Project will widen its scope to include not only school districts that are at the forefront of the LGBT-inclusive education movement, but also those that are just getting started in their consciousness-raising efforts. Original school districts will return and serve as mentors. In addition to the ongoing theme of sharing best practices, symposium workshops will focus on these three pillars: LGBT safety, policy and curriculum.
Learn more: http://www.stonewallnationalmuseum.org/education/programs/
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This was my favorite dress, in case you care. (photo from E!)
Last, but never least, is C.J.’s BFF Twirl (a seven-year-old, gender creative, fashion and design prodigy). Read Twirl’s thoughts on the looks from the 2014 Golden Globes and wish you had half his style sense.
Raising My Rainbow 
Maybe it’s just my general perversity, but when I looked at the Straight For Equality site, I got this feeling that this is a well-meaning but not very helpful idea. The “ally” thing has been somewhat problematic in other areas (feminist allies, anti-racism allies, allies of gays, etc.), because all too often the “ally” expects their good intentions to count more than whether they actually helped or hurt. And “allies” often want congratulations for doing something supportive, when in the opinion of those in the field, what they did is simply human decency (cf.: “feminist cookie”.) The thing about “ally spectrum” on the site in particular gave me that feeling.
I thought about answering question #2 (I would call myself “gender variant,” but don’t know any trans* or otherwise gender variant people.), but all I could think of was that people treat me with (what _should_ be) normal decency and courtesy, and not as some kind of different species. Fortunately, I live in an area and social circle where that’s pretty much a given. (There may be people who _think_ I’m a freak, but if they do, they mostly keep it to themselves.) I don’t think you need to be trained as an ally to do that.
So, what would an ally do _beyond_ stuff like using people’s preferred name (and pronoun gender), not using derogatory language about them, not asking intrusive questions, and generally treating trans*, etc., people like they would wish to be treated?
I never had a turning point, unless I could equate it to the day I realized that I was different and was gay? I’ve always thought, as has everyone who surrounded me in my life that we should take people for who they are and accept them. There is no reason NOT to accept transgendered people. After all, they’re humans trying to make it in the world, like the rest of us, only they have a harder path to follow than most.
*Also, Gigi Gorgeous (transgendered youtubers) is one of my favourite people on the planet.
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I never had a ‘turning point’ in my mind it’s always just been a matter of everyone should be able to love, be, live, who they want. The thought of being ‘against’ someone because of the fact that they are transgender has never once occurred to me.
Recently I ran into one of my college roommates after not seeing her for years, and it turns out she is a he now. It was the first time I was confronted with it face to face, and I said the first thing that came to mind, and made sense to me, ‘Well, it’s nice to meet you Eli!’ and gave him a hug. He said it was the best/perfect response anyone thus far had had.
It’s awesome to stand up for what you believe in. Everyone deserves a fair shot! 🙂 I really enjoyed this post, as well as the other ones I’ve taken a look at on your blog. You’re an awesome blogger!
Thank you for sharing these, Lori! I’ve sent in my responses to PFLAG.
I really don’t know what my family would do without all the allies we have – especially the kids at my son’s school who are brave enough to stand up for him when others tease him.
I never had a “turning point” per say – I had a lesbian aunt and gay uncle and that was always presented to me as normal, so being transgender was a logical leap for me – but I guess I had a realization over time, probably in college, that it wasn’t enough to just “be cool” with transgender people, that as someone who was “cool” with it I had to stand up and actively say so. Some people don’t want to get involved, but I do feel like if you’re an ally you need to.
Well lori. there was no timeframe of understanding for me.. I have ALWAYS been a fair minded woman… no one should be marginalized or oppressed… I am a 57 yr old mother of 3..
I am currently attending college to become a social worker to fight for the rights of ALL people… we are ALL people deserving of our god given rights to be free and secure in our person as stated in the bill of rights.. Bless ALL of you