November 15, 2007

Transgender Remembrance Day and Awareness Month

It is particularly apropos to take time to reflect on the wondrous diversity of God's creation at a time when Transgender Awareness Month coincides with the US House of Representatives having found it impossible to do something as simple and basic as voting to provide protections from discrimination on the basis of gender identity in the workplace. Attention now shifts to the US Senate as it prepares to consider a similar Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Emily Eastwood, Executive Director, LC/NA, said, "The annual Transgender Day of Remembrance provides an excellent opportunity for our RIC congregations and our members to begin or continue education on the issues facing our transgender siblings. Offering a petition during the prayers on Sunday, including an announcement of the Day and local observances in the weekly email of a congregation, taking a delegation from the congregation to a Day of Remembrance service in your area, providing a Sunday forum regarding the Day and why it is needed, are all excellent ideas for starting the conversation in a congregation."

Galen Smith, Transgender Representative on the Lutherans Concerned / North America Board of Directors and Chair of the LC/NA Committee for Full Inclusion, offered further suggestions:

• "Congregations, particularly RIC congregations, can look at the welcome they publicize and consider if it is inclusive enough and if it is truly the welcome that they are called to offer.
• "All of us should continue to actively and publicly support the efforts for a fully inclusive ENDA, about which you have heard so much of late. It is not over yet - the Senate is next, and the entire legislative action will be repeated in 2009 in order to get a fully inclusive law passed and signed by a new president.
• "Consider that public support, words backed up with deeds, are very important signals to transgender people when they are testing how welcoming a congregation or other group setting is. Consider supporting transgender community groups in your area by offering meeting space or other resources. Consider providing educational events about gender identity and transgender experience for your membership."

Information about the struggle to advance the equality of transgender people through advocacy, collaboration and empowerment, and through participation at the center of United ENDA, is available at the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE).

LC/NA has received the following Call for Action from TransFaith Online:

Call to action for LGBT-friendly Congregations!!
TransFaith Online is encouraging LGBT friendly congregations to observe the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) in your community as a way to raise awareness and continue to educate your congregations about Transgender concerns. See also: http://www.gender.org/remember/day/what.html

The Transgender Day of Remembrance is held on November 20th each year to remember those who have died from anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. This 9th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20, 2007) happens in a month that has seen the US House of Representatives deliberation and action on Employment Non-Discrimination Act, stripped of any protection for transgender and gender variant individuals. It is an important time to highlight the violence and discrimination that remains a persistent threat to the well-being of every gender variant individual. See also: http://www.unitedenda.org/

TransFaith Online is compiling an index of resources for your TDOR observance at: http://www.transfaithonline.org/go/TDOR/

TransFaith Online are also seeking additional TDOR resources to be shared with other congregations. Please contact TransFaith Online with ideas or contributions! (chris@transfaithonline.org or http://www.transfaithonline.org/go/email )

About TransFaith Online and the Transgender Day of Remembrance
TransFaith Online will be observing the 9th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on November 20, 2007. During that day, the entire TransFaith website will be draped in a black Transgender Day of Remembrance banner, which will include a list of TDOR resources. See also: http://www.transfaithonline.org/go/TDOR/.

TransFaith Online is dedicated to supporting Transgender folks in our faith journeys, while providing useful resources to help Church folks become better educated trans-allies.

If you have any questions about how your group or congregation can more fully demonstrate its welcome to the transgender community, contact Galen Smith at trans@lcna.org or Lisbeth Kellogg at bi@lcna.org.