The call for equality must be heard far and wide during Transgender Awareness Month especially.
As the leaves begin to fall and the near-riot level excitement over Halloween dies down, one of the most significant fights for social justice reawakens for all as November dawns. November is National Transgender Awareness Month, and this November follows the deadliest year in history for transgender people.
According to The Huffington Post, as of mid-August, 17 transgender women have been murdered this calendar year. That is the highest number ever and did not include the four remaining months in the year.
So though the conversation of acceptance has reached its greatest point, greatly propelled to new heights by Caitlyn Jenner’s announcement in the spotlight, it has never been more dangerous to be a transgender or gender-diverse person.
In 2011, it was estimated that there were nearly 700,000 transgender individuals in the United States, and that number now is likely higher. Aside from the fact that no matter who you are, we all share in being human, but it is criminal to deny such a large population of Americans the right to live peacefully and safely because others seems to be born to hate.
In a report released by the U.S. Department of Justice, it was estimated in 2012 that nearly 60 percent of total and violent hate crime victimizations were not reported to police. That means that a significant portion of the LGBTQ community has experienced discriminatory violence and not reported it. It is our duty, to those victims and to any victim, to take whatever measures necessary to change the society we live in so that all can feel safe to come forward and to be who they are meant to be.
Although Ohio University has done well to build a community of acceptance, with the first LGBT Center in the state of Ohio and being one of 55 universities nationwide that offers gender neutral housing, there is always need for acceptance to grow. The Transgender Law Center has created a rating system for each state’s LGBT equality policies. A state’s policy tally counts the number of positive laws and policies within the state that help drive equality for LGBT people. The state of Ohio was one of 26 states classified with an overall low tally, a reflection of many voids in legal equality, but especially in this state’s lack of non-discrimination laws.
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So many are quick to say “that’s not me, not my problem,” and while that may be true, it could be one of your friends or a sibling. Parents who say “that’s not my child” and it perhaps isn’t, but one day you may have a grandchild who wants nothing more than your love and acceptance. It is time to make this fight for equality your own, because it is your family, your friends and your community. In the end, we are all the same.
Anna Ayers is a freshman studying journalism and finance. What are your thoughts on Ohio’s classification in the rating system? Email her ataa183414@ohio.edu.
