As I've mentioned in several posts I had an interesting and fun weekend in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts spending time with the trans community there and in New England who drove to Northampton to see the parade and rally.One of the words I kept hearing a lot in my conversations with my hosts and various community members was 'legend' and people telling me it was an 'honor to meet me'.
Others thanked me for writing various TransGriot community related posts that either inspired or informed them, including the ones about GIEC.
Granted, I've done and I'm still doing things for this community as a 2006 IFGE Trinity Award recipient, have become sort of an elder stateswoman and commentator on TransGriot and other blogs as time moves on. TransGriot keeps me busy chronicling our community history, current events and upcoming leaders you should know about while shining a bright spotlight on our enemies internal and external.
But legend? Naaah.
Maybe I don't think so because I feel at times like I haven't done enough for the community.
I've felt since I moved back home I haven't been involved enough in Houston and Texas trans issues, even though I've surfaced at a few events since my May return to the Lone Star State. I was doing far more when I departed Da Ville, up to and including sitting on community boards of GLBT orgs, speaking to college classes in the area, helping plan and speak at local TDOR ceremonies and getting involved in community candidate endorsement interviews.
Yeah, I realize it took me two years to build up to that level of community service and involvement and I've realistically only been back in H-town for four short months. It's going to take me time to get to that level again, and it was one of the things that bothered me before the 3000 mile round trip to Northampton.
But the trip helped to recharge the activist batteries and make me realize why I got into it on behalf of my trans brothers and sisters in Texas and elsewhere in the first place. I wanted to help transpeople find the courage to stand up and fight for their constitutionally guaranteed civil rights.
I also wanted to emphatically point out to the white dominated trans community leadership and get them to realize that transpeople of color will play a major role in making that civil rights breakthrough happen.
It has been beneficial to helping me do the same in my own life as well.
It was comforting to know that people in the community not only wanted me there for this year's event, but took time out of their busy lives and weekends to want to be in Northampton for it.
I was happy to see the turnout for it despite the drama that preceded my arrival there and see the community's hard work validated. If I played a small role in motivating the local community to empower themselves, well that's all good as well.
To know that people around the country and in some cases the world look to you for principled leadership and guidance is an awesome responsibility and one I take very seriously. And yeah, may have something positive to announce about me getting back in the local community groove as well, but we'll see how it plays out.
But legend? I think it'll be up to future historians to judge me on that, but it sure does have a nice ring to it.
