By Joanie Juster–
One of the first lessons I learned as a budding activist so many years ago was the importance of visibility. In the late 1980s, a co-worker saw me marching in the annual candlelight march in memory of Harvey Milk and George Moscone. The next day he told me how he had been moved by seeing me—a straight woman—marching side-by-side with the gay community. He told me that seeing me marching inspired him to overcome his own fears and come out of the closet. And that’s when I realized that every pair of boots on the ground counts: you never know how your act of speaking out, standing up, marching, will make a difference to someone else. Visibility matters.
TDOV: Not Just One Day, But Every Day
The Transgender Day of Visibility is therefore still relevant because the need for visibility—to see trans people as fully human, as valued parts of our lives, our communities, our society, and our culture—is important every day, and not just on March 31.
Celebrating and amplifying the lives and accomplishments of trans people is particularly important right now in the face of an unprecedented barrage of legislative attacks on trans people, and on trans youth in particular. Just since January 1, at least 38 states have proposed or passed 196 laws that can only be described as hateful, and that stand to cause serious harm. By denying not just the civil rights but the very humanity of trans people, these legislatures are doing their best to erase trans people, and turn them into scapegoats for any perceived societal ills. And why? Simply to score cheap political points.
On the Transgender Day of Visibility, Metro Weekly’s Randy Shulman published an excellent interview with Olivia Hunt, Policy Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, in which they emphasized the need for allies to speak out on behalf of trans people: “ … one of the things that has driven a lot of this action over the past six years as these anti-trans bills have grown and grown is this belief lawmakers have that they can just get away with it because nobody cares. Showing them vocally that people do care is one of the most powerful things that we can do.”
“When you’re one percent of the population, it’s easy to feel isolated and alone. And getting a broad range of support, especially from folks who are cisgender and heterosexual, and not just having support coming from within the LGBTQ community broadly, is really vital to showing that our lives are important and our lives matter.”
Here in the Bay Area, we may not be able to cast a vote in the states that are churning out these heinous bills, but we can all stand up and speak out, as allies and friends, to support trans people, and let them know we see them, and value them.
Read the full article here, and at the end is a link to support NCTE’s fine work with a donation: https://tinyurl.com/TDOVally
And Now for Some Good News on Trans Rights
Just when we thought that seeing footage of Amy Schneider (the trans woman who recently skyrocketed to fame on Jeopardy!) speaking from the podium of the Press Room at the White House was just about the coolest thing to happen on TDOV, an email arrived from Olivia Hunt (yes, the same Olivia Hunt from the preceding item) of the National Center for Transgender Equality, celebrating that the Biden administration has announced major reforms in policy regarding passports, TSA, Social Security, and more, which will improve the lives of trans people in many ways. NCTE and others have been fighting for these reforms for years.
https://tinyurl.com/TransVictory
Taking It to the Streets
After two years of pandemic-induced isolation, it is good to see people out and about again—not just at restaurants and in parks, but at protests and rallies.
On March 21, HIV activists staged a Back-to-HIV Rally and Die-In on the steps of San Francisco City Hall to bring attention to the fact that HIV services had suffered during the two years that COVID has stretched our city’s healthcare system to its limits. Keynote speaker Dr. Monica Gandhi, the Medical Director of Ward 86, the HIV Clinic at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, brought attention to some alarming setbacks in HIV during these past two years, including that HIV testing is down 44%, and clinic visits decreased, which interrupted testing and early treatment. Organizers are working to restore funding and services in the city’s budget.
https://tinyurl.com/289f29dd
And on March 27, housing activists and community members gathered at Harvey Milk Plaza to shine a light on the precarious situation so many San Francisco renters find themselves in, especially older tenants in rent-controlled buildings. While the original impetus for the rally was due to iconic LGBTQ activist Cleve Jones being forced out of his long-term Castro apartment by a new landlord who is trying to raise his rent over 117% (yes, you read that number correctly), speaker after speaker at the rally spoke of the need to reform existing laws that make it like the Ellis Act and Costa-Hawkins that make renters so vulnerable to eviction. Worried about your own housing situation? First step: Know your rights. There are resources available to renters; the SF Tenants Union, and their excellent tenants’ handbook, updated annually, is a great place to start, as well as Tenants Together and the San Francisco Community Tenants Union.
Support for Ukraine
While business and celebrations return to San Francisco, Ukraine is still undergoing horrific attacks, deprivation, and misery. In the face of such overwhelming need, it is heartening to see so many individuals and organizations stepping up to raise funds to help the Ukrainian people. Thank you to everyone: organizers, donors, and businesses that are donating space and goods to make these fundraisers possible. While we’ve all been stretched thin by two years of pandemic, when the need is this dire, the community opens its hearts and wallets.
Local nonprofit Rainbow World Fund has been raising significant funding to support the LGBTQ+ community in Ukraine. Their emergency fund helps already vulnerable LGBTQ+ Ukrainians, who are even more at risk to be further marginalized and scapegoated. They are funding their evacuations from Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other cities to Lviv and Poland. Funds are being used to provide for humanitarian needs related to the hardships of war—food, emergency supplies, medical, communication, transportation, etc. Because RWF is an all-volunteer organization, 100% of these donations will fund these life-saving actions. Specify “Ukraine” when you donate online here: https://tinyurl.com/346brm8m
Easter with the Sisters
Not like you could possibly have missed the news, but the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are bringing their world-infamous Easter celebration back to Mission Dolores on Easter Sunday, April 17. Come out and enjoy the fun, but while you’re at it, why not help the good Sisters by donating—or volunteering—or both? They would love to have your help, since extravaganzas like this don’t just happen with the wave of a wand. Chip in, lend a hand, and enjoy one of San Francisco’s greatest traditions. You can give your time and/or money here: https://www.thesisters.org/
And one final reminder …
COVID-19 is still with us, friends. Keep up your vaccinations, keep washing your hands, keep protecting your health and the health of others. We all want to enjoy seeing each other again, but be sure you do it safely.
Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.
Published on April 7, 2022
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