To My Transpeeps On Christmas Day

The calendar page has turned to December 25 and the last of the Christmas special marathons are being played nonstop on TV.   Another holiday college bowl game (or two or three) will be on the tube to watch with Christmas music playing on the radio.   People are getting last minute shopping done for the Christmas dinners taking place or returning from Christmas Day church services.

And you aren't for various reasons feeling the peace, love and goodwill toward all humans that this holiday season is supposed to represent. 

Yeah, I'll freely admit it's been a frustrating year for the trans community.   It seems like every time we take a step forward we get sacked for a five to ten yard loss on the next play in the civil rights football game. 

Some of you are dealing with personal losses, unemployment or underemployment, or being away from family and friends who have rejected you.    Others of you have the blessings of health, employment, the committed love of a significant other in your life, and accepting family and friends showering you with unconditional love.  Others of you may have varying combinations of situations in your trans lives. 


But on this day, let's just forget for 24 hours about the drama    Let's stand down from being on DEFCON 1 status in the civil rights war we have to constantly wage to have our humanity as trans people respected and protected.

To those of you who have blood family that have rejected you, find your chosen family on this day and make your own Christmas traditions and memories with them.   You'll feel less lonely and hopefully one day, some of those family members who reject you now out of ignorance or pride will come to their senses and welcome you back into the family fold, the holiday table and beyond.

But in the off chance they stubbornly don't, their loss.   Keep building memories and expanding the circle of your chosen family and supportive friends to replace them.

To those of you who have lost loved ones, my condolences and prayers go out to you on this day.

May the pain you feel for their loss find relief.   May you find comfort in knowing that your loved ones are no longer suffering despite the huge hole you feel in your soul because they are not sharing this plane of existence with you and everyone else in their lives who loved them as much as you did.
  
May the rapidly approaching new year bring us all better life situations and a tough minded determination to make positive things happen for ourselves and our community.

Merry Christmas, transpeeps.   And may you have many more..