Ongoing learning- thanks, Pilgrim, for the Gender Diversity Forum/Workshop!

                                                     

Yesterday I attended a forum/workshop on gender diversity at Pilgrim Church in Chattanooga. I learned several things from the presenter (Charity Muse) and I learned some things from my experience of my chosen t-shirt.

I will share what I learned yesterday in this blog post, plus some links from the forum/workshop.

Where to begin?

As a linguist (by definition, a person skilled in foreign languages and a person who studies linguistics), it surprised me that I was surprised to learn that the language usage for LGBTQ+ and gender diversity is fluid, changing. What I mean is that I should not have been surprised. I should know better. Before I get on to myself for "shoulding myself" I will stop. But that caught my attention yesterday. 

Language matters. The language we use matters. Because language matters, we need to keep learning and be willing to ask questions, etc.

For example, there are terms that used to be used years ago, but they are no longer appropriate now.

One such term is gender re-assignment surgery. A more appropriate term is gender affirming surgery.

Another example that caught my attention is the term "folx". It is a term for "folks". It is meant to be inclusive and uses the "x" in solidarity with the Latinx community. What I learned is that much language change starts out on the west coast and makes its way east. Often, terms have been edited or dropped by the time we just started using them this far east and south. For the term "folx" for example, it turns out that "folks" was already fairly inclusive and not as "bad" as some initially thought.

There are vocabulary lists for reference and to learn from, available at different sites.  One is 

• The Safe Zone Project: LGBTQ+ Vocabulary/Glossary.
• Human Rights Campaign: Glossary of Terms.
• The Translanguage Primer

Here is a good chart for LGBTQ inclusive Do/Don't for terms/vocabulary.

One of the first words in a vocabulary list is "ally".  What is an ally? From the Safe Zone project definition, an ally is: 

ally /“al-lie”/ – noun : a (typically straight and/or cisgender) person who supports and respects members of the LGBTQ community.  We consider people to be active allies who take action on in support and respect.

What does it take to be an ally? Here is a link from The Trevor Project: Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Non-Binary Young People. 

Being an ally is not always easy. Yet, more difficult than being an ally is being dismissed or despised for who and how you were created to be. I live in the state of Tennessee. It has been fairly safe over the years for non-white, non-heterosexual, non-English speaking people. However, things are getting worse, going backwards quickly to the early 1900s.  Fear and ignorance have raised their ugly heads to bring hatred and cruelty to the surface once again, creating difficulty for those who are different and in the eyes of the law makers, seemingly, not worthy of living. The slate of hate that is being passed in the state of Tennessee that is geared toward the transgender community only sets things back. Where people had access to healthcare and treatment, they are now considered illegal activities. Do law makers really think that gender diversity is a new thing? It isn't. The existence of transgender people go back centuries in the world and go back hundreds of years in the United States. 

Here are some links that show the history of transgender people: 

National Geographic article on How Historians are Documenting the Lives of Transgender People

Transgender History in the United States (PDF by Genny Beemyn)

What about attempting to understand a transgender person or the transgender community?

One of the activities we did in the forum/workshop yesterday was extremely helpful, albeit difficult. It was a privilege activity, the cisgender edition. (If the word "cisgender" is unknown, check out one to the vocabulary links above.) There were 21 items on our list and we could only choose 4 out of the 21. Four. That's all we were allowed. 

I invite you to look at any one of the links below, as they are similar to the Privilege Activity I did.

• The Cisgender Privilege Checklist
• Cisgender Privilege
• Cisgender Privilege Checklist with Gender Unicorn Sheet

A helpful article: Human Rights Campaign: Understanding the Transgender Community

Some of the graphics shared yesterday came from TSER-- Trans Student Resources. 

As I look at their page currently, here are a couple of graphics that I want to share:

Gender Grammar

5 Things You Should Know about Trans People

I wasn't sure I would be able to make it yesterday to the Gender Diversity forum/workshop. We spent the weekend away, celebrating our anniversary and I wasn't sure we would make it back in time. But we did, so I signed up last minute and attended in person.

I am familiar with Pilgrim Church, UCC. That's where PFLAG was held pre-pandemic. It hasn't resumed post-pandemic just yet. I have also attended there during Pride Weed for worship. I chose an affirming t-shirt, one of Naked Pastor's designs to wear, as it fit the theme:

Wearing it at the church was easy. There were like-minded people there who showed up for the educational opportunity. Even so, I prepared myself to explain the heart-shaped island with Jesus hugging the transgender sheep. 1 John 4:8- God is love.

I decided to go for a walk on the Tennessee Riverwalk on my way home, to one of my favorite walking spots... the bug park. I like it because I can "go down to the river to pray" and I enjoy the playground areas too.

Here is where I learned about myself a little more.

I realized that my t-shirt targeted me in public, if anyone knew what it represented and/or understood it. As I understood that, I was more cognizant of my surroundings as I walked. As I was more aware, I realized how much privilege I have as a white cisgender female. Even wearing my transgender t-shirt. Though I may have felt a tad concerned in my t-shirt, I only understood maybe 1% of what it feels like to be seen and be concerned how others might treat you differently for their perception of you. 

It made me think. It was a cause for a pause. 

I have a stack of LGBTQ+ ally t-shirts. I don't wear them as often as I used to since I'm not currently serving a Reconciling Ministry Network Church. However, I'm not afraid to wear them.

They can be a good conversation starter. I hope so.

I hope to continue my learning, my advocacy, my ally-ship.

And, I hope that others might be willing to learn from what I have learned.

I don't know when Pilgrim will offer their next "Journey with Pilgrim" conversation, but I do know that there is a conversation coming up this Saturday (March 11th at 10 am) in the Holston Conference: Next Conversations.  Check it out.

Thanks for sharing this adventurous journey with me, 

Rev. Deb