Bit of a negative post or rant, so feel free to skip if not in the mood for a kinda sour take.

Apparently this week is transgender awareness week and while it's obviously about more than just being aware of the thing (like breast cancer awareness month is also about educating etc.) I still feel like the purpose is so far removed from what it's supposed to be that it may as well be satirical.

From that link:

While most of the discussion of trans folks online can often be centered on negativity, Transgender Awareness Week gives us the opportunity to uplift positive and insightful stories of trans people across the country.

Does it though? gif

Is anybody outside of our community going to actually learn anything this week?

Are they going to an extra event or something just because someone decided this week is special for us?

Because I think it's nothing except detrimental to us. It only gives more ammunition to those who already hate us and already at best want us to go away.

(Day of remembrance, also this week, is on the other hand an important day I think.)

For folks unaware, the identified shooter in today's Minneapolis Catholic school shooting appears to have been a trans woman. There are a lot of uncertainties at this time and this isn't the thread to discuss the shooting*, but regardless it seems clear that trans people, perhaps particularly trans adults this time (and unfortunately my trans sisters always) will be the target of increased bigoted and violent rhetoric. Even if you're not in the US the words being spoken already have an impact on people worldwide.

Be safe, take care of yourselves and each other and find ways to get involved and speak out when and where you can. And look out for the trans kids too.

💜🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊

*Please don't make this thread that, nor tag it as such. It's purely a support thread with context. Ty

Refresher about me and my work: I work in higher ed as essentially a social worker for our on-campus students. Many of the students I support are trans, non-binary, and queer. They often come to me or are directed to me because I'm visibly queer, and use she/they pronouns. A recent survey* listed about 30% of our campus populations as queer (ace-inclusive, not mentioning gender identity), the same survey demonstrated nearly double the risk of suicide, mental health crisis, etc among our trans and gender non-conforming students. This survey was from before the 2024 election.

My point with this post is asking y'all for any suggestions in supporting my trans youth in particular and queer youth in general during this time of increasing demonization and as the feds have started to pressure schools to remove protections for trans women specifically.**

What things would you have wanted to hear from adults around you? What things helped you continue to feel safe with trusted adults? When the conversations keep getting tougher - talking about staying in or returning to the closet for safety or surviving that necessity when at home, or whatever fresh political hell hits next? When your roommate's mom compares her daughter living with you to sexual violence?

I have a lot of experience with tough questions, and dealt some of these. I've talked about how you have to take care of yourself and water your plants or you have dead plants and fascism. But my experiences coming out in grad school and figuring out my demi-gender-ness much later aren't the same as these kids' life experiences. And I always want to make sure I'm doing better. What helped you? What would you have wanted to hear? What message would you want to pass to them?

Feel free to DM if preferred for safety or privacy

*I can't say how representative this was but between 4 and 5 percent of the population took the survey so unless that was particularly skewed in some way that should be a decent sample.
** There's a chance my speech will be restricted as an employee, we'll see, but that's an area I can fight more effectively.