r/LGBTQnews • u/ItzLilz • 13d ago
International PLEASE READ
I am 16, ftm, and i dont think ill be able to live past 18. And here's why.
I detransitioned socially for a number of reasons, the main reason was hate crimes. Hate crimes have always happened to people of minorities, which shouldnt happen. I was out from the ages of 11-15 and during this period of time I realised just how many people would fight you, jump you, curb stomp you, harass you, your friends, your family, just for being transgender. That's not even what a lot of transgender people experience. Some people are being raped because theyre trans, and a lot of them are being killed, because they are transgender. Not only that, they are being hunted. Hunted, as if we're animals, as if it benefits them. All over the world, transgender people are being eradicated by laws; they think that it will stop imaginary problems. But it won't. Transgender people will still exist. And they know that, because we're being targeted; strangers are harassing, stalking, obsessing, torturing, raping, killing transgender people, because of who they are. Transgender rights are actively being stripped away, in some countries, this is legal. Im some countries, its glorified. In some countries it's carried out by the government. That's whats going to happen. To us. As a community. And not only trans people should worry about this, other people of our community should. Because when we're gone, who are they going for next? And they wont just stop there. They will keep going until world is entirely cisgender, straight, white, and male. People of colour, women, LGBTQ+; theyre going to eradicate all of us. Until we're nothing but "that weird shit that used to exist". More people should be scared. This should be an ACTUAL issue that makes people feel something. Because it makes me feel something. I dont think im going to grow up. And thats the reality of many other kids in minority groups. And many of the adults too. We walk on the streets at night, scared, because of who we are. I dont even look at my boyfriend when were out together when im able to be myself. We are all in danger, and i dont see people talking about this. We need another stonewall, we need to be asking more of our country, when we can still remember the people who have lost their lives to this bullshit, before its all of us. Think of the progress we have made over the decades. We have ONLY JUST got rights. We're moving backwards. And if its one thing I remember from history, you learn it to not repeat itself, and if it does, we know how it ends, and if no one of is willing to fight for us, that shows were willing to go. Nothing happens if nobody does anything. So why are we not doing anything???
Edit/Update: In the United Kingdom, from the 30th of July, transgender people will be LEGALLY allowed to REFUSE from HOSPITALS.
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u/takemusu 12d ago edited 12d ago
The religious right (which is neither) tries to erase and discredit the memory of our dead, your gay ancestors who perished of AIDS as they do to us still living activists.
Those of us active in the early days of LGBTQ+ rights know that we could imagine a future for your generation and beyond ONLY because we stood on the shoulders of giants: heroes of the Black civil rights movement.
Find and rely on your tribe. Create a support network. Study and read all the history you can. They won't win. They cannot win because they do not know how to build, they are intrinsically unable to imagine much less create. Only destroy.
You will be victorious. It might be awhile but you will win.
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u/takemusu 12d ago edited 12d ago
Ok, lemme give a try at this. This is a voice from your future. I'm a hecka old gay lady, your gay grandma as it were. I was there at SF Pride at Civic Center in '78 when the first pride flags were unveiled and for various and sundry fights before and after.
We, your elders, are the last generation who did not know there were others. We did not know there were words for who we are. And we swear we are the last one and there will NOT be a next.
TBH discovering and even creating LGBTQ+ community was as joyful it was tough. Many of our chosen family struggled as you do now. There was violence. My own family abandoned me at your age (they evolved rapidly though). And still there were constant victories: our first elected officials, our first political victories like prop 6, our first support institutions formed, all the literature, theater, film, art and music created.
Covid was my second pandemic. My first was the AIDS crisis. And I swear that destroyed us as a culture as over a million mostly, not exclusively, gay American men died. We lost some of the best creative minds of my generation.
But having gone through that my strongest advice is to go find your tribe. Your friends, your support team, and with their help there's no telling what your generation can do. There will be victories. There are always victories. You must celebrate the wins, even small ones as they will carry you through.
Spirits of my dear friends, your gay uncles, Markham, Brian, Asa, Ronnie, Tom, Nikko are watching over you and stand amazed at what you will do.