10 Resources For Trans Students

A boy running with a rainbow flag in the street.

NCTE’s School Action Resource Center Link: http://www.transequality.org/schoolaction Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students: Your Rights at School Link: http://www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/kyr/KYR-Schools-May-2016.pdf Transgender Students and School Bathrooms: Frequently Asked Questions Link: https://www.genderspectrum.org/BathroomFAQ/ Schools In Transition A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools Link: https://www.genderspectrum.org/staging/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Schools-in-Transition-2015.pdf Trans-Inclusive Classroom Tips From using correct pronouns to challenging transphobia, this trans-specific resource…

Read More

Standing Up Against Discrimination

Woman testifying before audience holding Vote No signs

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear a case about whether religious beliefs give businesses that are open to the public a right to discriminate. The case is about David Mullins and Charlie Craig, who visited Masterpiece Cakeshop in 2012 to order a cake for their upcoming wedding reception. The bakery…

Read More

Trans People Are More Than the Violence Done to Us

A group of people in black t - shirts singing in front of a screen.

I’m not a big fan of Trans Day of Remembrance. It’s a hard day for me and many other trans people. Marking a day to “remember those we’ve lost” feels like a misnomer. Most of us never forget the violence and abuse that our community members have experienced—largely because it is happening, right now. How…

Read More

Response to Pope Francis’ Comments on Gender Difference

A black and white photo of a man in a white robe.

Pope Francis has once again entered the discussion of transgender issues with a statement that reveals the pontiff does not yet comprehend issues of gender identity. In a statement to the Pontifical Academy for Life’s general assembly, he said: The biologic and psychological manipulation of sexual difference, which biomedical technology allows one to see as…

Read More

I Want Our Christianity Back!

Fingers pinching a tiny cross charm

I want my face back! Those were the first words out of my mouth last week in the dermatologist’s office. Soft. Smooth. Glowing. Clear. To be envied. These are the adjectives people once used to describe my face, not Scaly. Dry. Itchy. Inflamed. Puffy. I want my face back! While I educated the doctor about…

Read More

Loves Makes A Family: IDAHOT 2017

Celebrate the power of love.

May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT). It is a worldwide celebration of sexual and gender diversities. IDAHOT was founded in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people around the world. This year IDAHOT…

Read More

Raising A Banner For Title IX: Our Message to the NCAA

Three women in pink shirts holding a banner in front of a building.

Though I had my mom with me on our crew of activists, Soulforce’s action at the women’s Final Four basketball game this weekend was one of the more daunting in my dozen years of direct action organizing. From the moment we entered the arena, police crowded us, grilled us with questions, monitored us from above,…

Read More

Growing Up Trans—Without Male Privilege

A group of people holding a sign that says trans up front.

Trigger warning: discussion of suicide Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s comments about her understanding of what “transness” is set off a firestorm last month. In an interview, she said trans women live in the world with “privileges that the world accords to men” prior to transition. I’m not sure if Ms. Adichie made these statements based on…

Read More