Climate Of Change - Jennifer Simmons -Transgender Universe

The Climate of Change and the Dangers to Us

In the spring of 1994 my friend Antonio and I were walking home from the movies late at night. Suddenly I found myself pushed to the ground from behind and kicked in the stomach. I looked up to see five of our classmates surrounding my friend Antonio. The ring leader, Scott, punched him in the lip and shoved him into the street. As I tried to stand up I was kicked in the stomach again, and told, “Stay down traitor.” “Stay with your own kind”,  Scott told Antonio. It became obvious at that moment what this was about. This was not an accidental encounter, their attack was swift and intentional. They had a problem with Antonio, a black man, dating a white girl in our class. They had a problem with me for being accepting and this made me a “traitor” in their eyes. There was no understanding or thought in their actions other than Antonio’s dating life went against their idea of how society was supposed to be structured. The mob mentality granted them the luxury of judgment, without conscience, because they were part of a whole and did not have to take individual responsibility. Antonio stayed undeterred by the altercation and continued to have interracial relationships openly. The boys were our classmates through high school and never would confront us unless they were together. Their power lay within their pack and not within themselves.

“When the world shifts around the old ways of thinking, people become more radical and cling tight to their elitism.”

Climate of Change 2 - Jennifer Simmons -Transgender UniverseWith equality in marriage becoming the law of the land, a heavy blow was dealt to the egos of the privileged. For years they have fought social change at every corner and ended up on the wrong side of American history, but not until after they attacked and maimed entire groups of people. “The trail of tears” started in 1838 and an estimated 3800 Cherokee people died while another 1600 were imprisoned. In 1866 after the “Civil Rights Act” was passed, a mob in Memphis, Tennessee consisting of white civilians and police officers raided black neighborhoods burning 91 homes, 8 schools, and 4 churches. In their wake the mob would leave over 48 dead, 75 injured, 5 reported rapes, and 100 people robbed. The list continues on with every jump in social understanding, the women’s suffrage movement, Japanese internment camps, the civil rights movement, interracial marriage, gay rights, and so on. When the world shifts around the old ways of thinking, people become more radical and cling tight to their elitism. As people of a certain privilege in life have to relinquish their elitism for their fellow man, they are left feeling as if in some way they were attacked. In their minds they had this right and power to themselves, which instilled this sense of being righteous and allowing their bigotries to be justified by the fact that those without were lesser because of their convictions.

“By dehumanizing us through the media and comparing us to rapists or deviants, they allow themselves to view their attacks as righteous.”

The current climate of transgender attacks is in response to the elite feeling threatened. We as a people have become the “boogie man” of the LGBT community as a whole. Unlike our gay and lesbian counter parts, most times we have to broadcast our lives in a visual manner. A large number of us transition from one gender to the next while living in plain view at work, or school, or even at the local store. This gives people a physical target for their aggressions and frustrations. By dehumanizing us through the media and comparing us to rapists or deviants, they allow themselves to view their attacks as righteous. As long as the transgender population is viewed as a fad or perversion, we will continue to be targets. It is now more than ever that we need to stand behind true leaders and public figures instead of making excuses for ill informed celebrity personalities who only worry about ratings. Misinformed spokespersons are just as toxic to the climate as any radical group.

Climate of Change 3 - Jennifer Simmons - Transgender Universe

Please stay vigilant of your surroundings as you navigate this world. We must protect ourselves and each other whenever possible. Most of all, making sure we educate as many people around us about who we are is vital to our survival. By sharing our stories and by showing the human side of us, we allow ourselves to become human in the eyes of those who would burn us at the stake. Each individual we can inform reduces the number of the pack and takes power away from them.