More Stolen Sisters

I want to talk about stolen sisters today.

I am a cis woman.  According to Wikipedia "Cisgender and cissexual (often abbreviated to simply cis) describe related types of gender identity where individuals' experiences of their own gender match the sex they were assigned at birth."  I was lucky.  My brain matches my body.  Our trans-sisters were not so lucky.  Our trans-sisters experience abuse and harm as they fight to express who they are with a sixth trans woman of colour was murdered in this past month.  Trans-teens are at high risk for suicide and abuse.

I think it hurts us all when we allow this abuse.  From a purely selfish perspective, I have two cis girls and I want them to be able to be who they are.  Whatever spectrum of sexuality and gender performativity they are, I love them and I don't want them to be endangered by those realities.  I know that I am a more concious woman because of my trans-sisters and what I have learnt about their lives.  This has served as a reminder to me to appreciate being a woman.

I also appreciate that my one daughter could say to me "mom, I think I like boys" because she knew that I did not assume any way.  I appreciate that she feels ok to shop in the boys section and not get into makeup.  Even with this small difference she is coming home every night talking about how she is getting teased for playing with the boys and not being "girly" enough.  I hope that we can create a better and safer world for our trans brothers and sisters and all the girls and boys that don't perfectly fit into their performative gender roles. 

I liked this short video by a trans activist on the need for gender neutral bathrooms and this presentation some parents made to support their trans child.  I am also working on "Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and I really appreciated the description of the grandmother was that she was tolerant and that she maintained the old ways where people with excentricities and gay people were celebrated.  "Gay people could do anything.  They were like Swiss Army Knives."  Kim Anderson very closely echos these statements in "A Recognition of Being".  This is another thing I am appreciating about going native.  There is more space to be.

Tommorow is pink shirt anti- bullying day.  The shirt above was from the campaign last year and I really loved the homage to Robert Davidson and that powerful metaphor, that if we are all not rowing together we are not going to get anywear.