As I've gotten older, I have definitely changed some of my ideas and perspectives - which, I think, is as it should be. We should always be changing, growing, evolving. That should include our beliefs and how we view the world. I will admit, one of the things that has helped me the most to make some of these changes was coming to terms with the fact that I am gay. The journey I have gone on has caused some major shifts in me. It hasn't changed my testimony or my faith, but it has changed the way I view and interact with people who are different than me.
June is Pride month. A month where the LGBTQ+ community celebrates and is celebrated. This year has produced an interesting Pride month. With protests against racism and police brutality and advocacy for a change in the police force, Pride month has become about defending everyone's rights, not just the rights of one community.
I've been thinking a lot about humanity. As you probably know, I work at a juvenile corrections center. I work with kids who could be given the label of criminals. Something that gets me fired up is when these kids talk about how they're treated in other facilities. Are they likely to be exaggerating? I mean, yeah, probably. But, the fact that many of them express appreciation for how we treat them, the food we give them, the fact that their blankets aren't super thin and that they are allowed more than one of them indicates to me that, sometimes, these kids aren't treated as they should. And that just doesn't seem right to me.
Who are we, as humans, to treat anyone without human decency? I mean, you're allowed to be angry with someone, set boundaries, be firm, even decide to not interact with someone. But, all of that is different than treating someone as if they are not human. Unfortunately, humans have a tendency to dehumanize anyone who is different from them - looks different, believes differently, or acts differently. I mean, I understand, in the case of those who commit crimes, sometimes it is necessary for justice to be met. But that can be done without dehumanizing someone.
Four years ago today, there was a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub. Today, on the anniversary of this tragedy, a regulation was finalized that removes the protection previously given to transgenders to ensure they could not be discriminated against by doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies. By limiting the definition of sex discrimination, transgender people can now be refused care.
At the beginning of the month, a brief was submitted to the Supreme Court that suggested that adoption agencies could, on the basis of religion, refuse to let gay couples adopt.
Within the past couple of days, two black transgender women were murdered. According to the information presently had, they make the 13th and 14th transgender - or non gender conforming - individuals murdered this year. And it's possible more have happened but are just unreported. These murders have happened with more frequency in recent years, and people of color are disproportionately targeted.
Now, I've always tried to stay out of politics as much as possible. I know that I am woefully uninformed. But, something that I am not uninformed on is respecting someone, as a human. You don't have to like them. You don't have to agree with them. Heck, you can hate them, for all I care. But, dehumanizing someone is never appropriate.
I am honestly baffled by the things I've written - allowing discrimination because of differences and murdering simply because someone has decided that they are not who society told them they were. Like, if somebody decided to change their gender, does that make them less human? Bruh, the fact that I even have to pose that question is just so dumbfounding to me.
It also enrages me. It enrages me to know that people are willing to deny people their rights - even at the corrections facility, the juveniles have the right to be treated by a nurse or doctor if they need it! And their rights are limited! It enrages me that people think that discrimination is ok. It enrages me that people just passively let it happen. It enrages me that I wasn't always enraged.
Are you enraged? If you aren't, why not?
There is a lot going on in the world. Protests, riots, a flipping pandemic, people fighting for change - both good and bad. There is a lot of conflict and a lot of disagreements. Honestly, that doesn't bother me. What bothers me is when that conflict and those disagreements turn into something ugly. When it turns into something where both sides have stopped listening.
Honestly, I'm overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed by all the feelings. I'm overwhelmed that there was so much I was unaware of. I'm overwhelmed by how badly I want to do something, but I don't know what to do or how to be informed - accurately.
I'm tired, too. I'm tired of this fight against hate, racism, cruelty, and aggression.
But, I'm also proud. I'm proud of the people who are stepping up and speaking up. I'm proud of the fact that they are pushing for change and not backing down. And, I'm proud of myself - of who I am, who I've become, and what I'm trying to accomplish. It's a great time to celebrate Pride.
And because the student inside of me was SCREAMING, here are the websites I got a lot of my information on. (I know that there is so much more to be read on these topics.)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dominique-fells-riah-milton-transphobia-new-calls/
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/adoption-agency-should-be-able-reject-gay-couples-trump-administration-n1224911
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/us/politics/trump-transgender-rights.html
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