Trans Day of Visibility

Today is the International Trans Day of Visibility, and incidentally, it is also my son's birthday.

As a parent of a trans son in the US, I am furious. I feel betrayed and sickened by what the 'land of the free' has become. I have always worked hard and played by the rules, and I have raised a young man with integrity, kindness, and empathy. The world is paying that back by trying to erase his existence and make being a loving parent a crime.

For years I have spent hours testifying in front of the legislature, writing letters and speaking out for my son's right to exist. Just this week, NH passed a forced outing bill, made providing gender affirming care a felony, banned kids from playing high school sports, and banned access to bathrooms, just to name a few. Our legislature, as with many others across the US, is being bank-rolled by hate groups. Openly.

To all the fence-sitters out there...get up! Stand up! Speak up! If not for me and my son, for your family, neighbors, coworkers, and fellow citizens. Fascism grows in silence and in complicity. Do not sit this one out.