GSA at Kehillah Spotlights Trans Awareness Week 2021
Trans Awareness Week helps to increase visibility of transgender people and issues. This week leads up to Trans Day of Remembrance, on November 20th. We will post more about Trans Day of Remembrance on Friday.
For each day of this week, the GSA will be posting about
- An important trans person who either advocated for trans rights or is a trans person in the public eye today
- An action and resource to help those curious about the trans experience, trans individuals, and allies
Today we honor Marsha P. Johnson (she/her). Marsha P. Johnson was an activist, self-identified drag queen, performer, and survivor. She was a prominent figure in the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. Marsha went by BLACK Marsha before settling on Marsha P. Johnson. The “P” stood for “Pay It No Mind,” which is what Marsha would say in response to questions about her gender. Marsha was a prominent fixture in the LGBTQ+ community, serving as a “drag mother,” advocating for the unhoused community and struggling LGBTQ+ youth. Marsha was extremely successful and toured the world as a drag queen with the Hot Peaches.
You will find links for a Slides presentation on gender, as well as a link for the LGBT Youth Space of Silicon Valley/Peninsula.
If you have any questions, you can comment on this post or contact Wolfden (kwolfden@kehillah.org) :-).
Today’s important person is Sylvia Rivera (she/her).
A veteran of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, Sylvia was a tireless advocate for all those who have been marginalized as the “gay rights” movement has mainstreamed. Sylvia fought hard against the exclusion of transgender people from the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act in New York, and was a loud and persistent voice for the rights of people of color and low-income queers and trans people. She embraced the terms “queen” and “drag queen” for herself, and used “trans” less often.
For more info on the Stonewall uprising, click on the link!
(image description: Sylvia Rivera and Marsh P. Johnson are standing behind a wooden barrier with “POLICE LINE” printed on it in all caps. Sylvia is holding her arm out and is making a fist. Marsha is holding an open umbrella and a purse.)
Questions? Contact Wolfden (kwolfden@kehillah.org)
Today’s important person is Eliott Page (he/him, they/them). You may have seen him in Umbrella Academy where he played Vanya Hargreeves. On December 1, 2020, Eliott Page came out as transgender, something he had been wanting to do for some time. It’s rare we see transgender actors represented on TV, and as an activist, Eliott Page is one of the major inspirations for transgender youth today. When coming out, he stated, “I can’t believe how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self.”
You will find attached a link for the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Community Center in San Jose, as well as a link for a podcast on language development and the singular “they”.
If you have any questions, you can comment on this post or contact Wolfden (kwolfden@kehillah.org) :-).
Content Warning: This post contains mentions of transphobia, violence, and murder.
In observance of the fifth day of Trans Awareness Week, and the day before Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), an annual observance on November 20th that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
TDOR was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was murdered. The vigil commemorated all of the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Trans Awareness Week, and TDOR in particular, is important because trans people face oppression in most communities. Transgender people, and Black transgender women especially, experience frightening levels of physical violence. Brutal murders of transgender women occur with such alarming regularity, often with little response from law enforcement, that the American Medical Association declared violence against transgender people an epidemic in 2019. This means that raising awareness and increasing the visibility of the trans community is crucial.
Awareness and visibility are excellent places to start, but actions are more important. The following is a list of actions Kehillah community members can take to honor TDOR, and to support our trans community:
- • Use people’s correct pronouns and names.
- • Educate yourself on trans issues and apply what you learn.
- • Attend and/or organize a vigil on November 20 to honor all those transgender people whose lives were lost to anti-transgender violence that year
- • Learn about the violence affecting the transgender community
You will find linked a virtual observance hosted by community members of San Mateo County today, 11/19 at 5pm, as well as an in-person TDOR observance hosted by Silicon Valley Pride tomorrow 11/20 at 11am. Both events are free and registration is required.
We honor the following individuals who have fallen victim to anti-trans violence and brutality from November 20, 2020 to December 31, 2020:
- • 11/20 Asia Jynae Foster (22) Houston, TX
- • 11/23 Chae’Meshia Simms (30s) Richmond, VA
- • 11/22 Kimberly Fial (55) San Jose, CA
- • 12/13 Jaheim Pugh Jaheim Barbie (19) Prichard, AL
- • 12/25 Courtney “Eshay” Key (25) Chicago, IL
- • 12/26 Alexandria Winchester (24) Bronx, NY
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