BY KAYLA WOOD AND GAVIN SMITH
On December 28th, 2014, seventeen-year-old Leelah Alcorn committed suicide by walking out into traffic on I-71.
In the last sentence of her suicide note, Alcorn wrote, “Fix society. Please.” The best way to accomplish her plea is through education.
Alcorn’s death caused an international outcry for acceptance, accommodation, and equality of transgender people.
On January 10th, 2015, a vigil in honor of Alcorn was held at Woodward Theater on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine.
Arriving at the theater, we (two Mariemont seniors and the authors of this article) made our way through the crowd of support until we were just behind the local camera crews. Glancing down at the leaflet, the reality of where we were finally hit us. The words “Leelah Alcorn Vigil” in bold letters fill the middle of the page, with “Program & Resource Guide” proudly displayed right below the title of the vigil.
Christian Jackson, a friend of ours, was asked to speak onstage shortly after we arrived.
Jackson, who grew up in Cincinnati and attended Withrow High School in Hyde Park, is a transgender woman of color, meaning she was born male and identifies as female. At 22 years old, Jackson has been living as a woman for just over a year.
“I don’t know if I ever really had some big official coming out moment. Ever since I was younger, I’ve always just been true to me, no matter where I was. At points I did suppress that to sort of assimilate, as we all do. I’ve always been very different. I’ve always known that I was different, and I’ve always looked different,” Christian laughs, but goes on. “At my age, I’ve already dealt with so much. I’ve lived the life of a 40-year-old woman, and I’m only 22.”
Jackson, who says it is unusual for a transgender person to come out so late in life, says she hasn’t always known she was trans. “I guess I was just really ignorant to who trans people were and what it meant to be trans. I just didn’t have the resources or people to go to to talk about that.”
To stay involved with the trans* (trans* is an umbrella term, covering all forms of gender identity which do not identify as male or female) community, Jackson spends a lot of her time at the University of Cincinnati’s LGBTQ Center.
“It’s always a great feeling to be around people who kind of get what you’re going through, even if not everyone gets what you’re going through,” says Jackson.
Growing up Baptist with a spiritual background, Jackson still stays involved in church and religion, even though she occasionally struggles with it. She says, “It’s been a difficult road, but religion has and still is a very big part of my life.”
Jackson, who surrounds herself with community support, is also involved in TWOCC (Trans Women of Color Collective) based out of Columbus.
Today, there are several trans* wellness organizations. HTWG (Heartland Trans* Wellness Group) is an organization based in Cincinnati that aims to create affirming and accessible community resources for Midwestern trans*, queer, and LGBTQPIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Questioning, Pansexual, Intersex, Asexual, Ally) people.
Kathy Laufman works for the Greater Cincinnati chapter of GLSEN and was present at the vigil. GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) is a network that aims to educate the public, mostly schools, on LGBTQPIA people. GLSEN is based in Massachusetts, but they work nationwide, visiting schools and aiming to ensure that every student is safe and respected.
Laufman says, “Until fairly recently, LGBTQPIA youth were somewhat invisible (or too visible, and harassed). They were isolated, harassed, often rejected at home, and unable to find support. As our society becomes more aware of LGBTQPIA people, there is more acceptance. Windows and doors are now opening for these youths and adults. Acceptance follows knowledge since we are less likely to fear what we know and understand. What needs fixing in our society is the lack of knowledge, and the failure to realize that (LGBTQPIA) people are all around us and deserve basic respect and acceptance.”
Laufman says, “Fear of the unknown is the root of bias, prejudice and close-mindedness. We fear what we perceive to be different. Unfortunately we then avoid what seems different, thus we eliminate any opportunity to learn, grow and get past our fears.”
Within a few minutes of Jackson’s speech at the vigil, trans* youth were called up to the stage to speak about their experiences. After their speeches, the common point of emphasis was that there are people who will love and accept the trans* youth unconditionally and that it is important to find and build that community of supporting people as early as possible.
This is where Alcorn’s call to action comes into play. Trans* allies, such as Jackson, would agree that we should all be making strides to be a part of that loving, supporting community.
It is 2015 and there are still people fighting for human rights. However, we live in a progressive society, which constantly pushes to better itself.
President Obama even took action to incorporate transgender awareness in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, January 20th, the first time a president has ever mentioned trans* rights in this traditional speech.
Obama said, “That’s why we defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. We do these things not only because they’re right, but because they make us safer.”
Lindsey Deaton, conductor of Diverse City Youth Chorus, a Cincinnati performing arts organization for LGBTQPIA and straight youth, says bathrooms are the place to begin making the world better and more accessible for the trans* community. Strictly male or female restrooms may cause great anxiety for those who do not define themselves as either gender, so creating gender-neutral bathrooms in all public facilities would greatly increase the acceptance of the trans* community. California has already made strides to create gender neutral restrooms, so hopefully the rest of the nation will be soon to follow. Other solutions include preferred pronoun and name usage.
Openly-transgender freshman Michael Lewis, whose transition has been mostly accepted and respected at MHS, says one of the best ways to improve society would be to make legal name changes easier for people under the age of 18. This would diminish the likelihood of transgender people being called the incorrect name.
“Honestly, to move forward as a trans* movement, people need to let go of these misconceptions and perceptions of the trans* community,” says Jackson. “I think once you get to know a trans* person for who they are, like I said, those misconceptions kind of fade away and melt away. I just think we need to stop assuming.”
No matter how vocal people are, what ultimately needs to change are laws and legislation regarding trans* rights and wellness. Police stations across the country have created liaison positions, connecting the LGBTQPIA community to police forces. Officer Angela Vance, Mariemont Alumna and Cincinnati Police Department LGBTQPIA Liaison, says her role is to “work in partnership with allies, community leaders, business owners and residents to develop strategies to improve trust, enhance police legitimacy, and to eliminate stereotypical communication gaps between law enforcement and the (LGBTQPIA) community.”
Laufman says, “If one courageous person at a time takes a risk, we will grow as a society. If school districts and legislatures will do what is right and pass protective legislation, more LGBTQPIA people will feel safe to come out and the circle will flow.”
As Deaton said in the closing ceremony, “We are all human beings.”
To view a list of helpful terms by which to call a trans* person, visit HTWG’s full list of vocabulary.
