[The following is a guest post from Cheryl Katon, Former President, TCNE. Original post here on FB] I’m often asked, “How can I be a better ally to the trans community?” It’s such a wonderful and appreciated sentiment. Folks are often asking because of a work position, or they recently realized someone in their life is trans and they feel ill-equipped to help, or they are upset by all the anti-trans news. Exercising ally-ship is an everyday thing, but in everyday situations it’s pretty mild. It often comes down to simply being kind, empathetic and compassionate.
However, at times there are things that can be done that are more proactive. For years before the pandemic I rallied dozens of trans people to march in a somber display at the Pride Parade in Boston. We carried images of trans people who had been killed in the previous year due to violence. It was a way of giving them voice during Pride since their voice had been silenced.
That responsibility of mine was part of my role at TCNE, and so the responsibility moved to the new leadership. This year, they have realized that it would be more powerful to have allies give voice to those victims. This would be an active show of ally-ship. It allows the trans community to NOT sacrifice their Pride experience to bring awareness to the violence, which is of course a highly emotional task for trans people. and by virtue of straight or cis people carrying these names it is symbolic of a shared concern and action.
If you’d like to participate in this way, please see the image and link below and if possible please offer to help in this way.
Thanks to Mason for coordinating this effort! Thanks to Juliana and Bree for expanding the meaning of this crucial aspect of Pride Parade.