Skip The Salvation Army Kettles In 2018

This is another TransGriot remident for you when you see the Salvation Transphobic Army kettles out to ignore them for their continued anti-trans attitudes.

They have a long, ugly history of hating on the TBLGQ community, which is why I laughed my butt off during an episode of POSE in which Elektra Abundance and the House of Abundance jacked a Salvation Army kettle.   

While the Salvation Army is claiming on their website they have changed their tune and evolved, we still don't have clear evidence they have ended their historic antipathy toward the TBLGIQ + community.

It was also quite disturbing to see white supremacists ringing the Salvation Army kettle bells at an Indiana location.

While I don't recommend y'all do an Elektra Abundance stunt, you can decline to drop your change in those Salvation Army kettles popping up at stores near you.

Instead donate to trans and SGL led organizations doing proven work in our community during this holiday season and beyond or trans advocates directly via their PayPal or Cash Apps.

In case you're wondering, here's mine if you're feeling generous. 

The Holidays Can Be Hard On My Trans and GNC Family

The 2018 holiday season is about to commence.  People are heading to airports, train stations and hitting the interstate highways to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day with family and friends. 

But as you prepare to make new holiday memories with family, friends and all the people who love you, bear in mind those happy pics you post on social media and the conversations you have about your wonderful holiday dinners can be painful to many of my trans and GNC siblings.

And that depression brought on by forced family separation, exacerbated by constant reminders of the season with the classic holiday Christmas TV shows and movies, Christmas music on the radio, and people out and about doing holiday shopping, can lead to suicide.

Many of my trans and GNC siblings are facing a fall and winter of separation or banishment from their blood families for being their true selves.   It's also true for the Mama and Papa Bears that face the same issue for choosing to support their trans and gender non conforming child over their familial ties with disapproving family members.

So for those of you not in that situation in our community, please do everything in your power to lift our trans and GNC family up during this holiday season.   Invite them to your home for a gathering.  Call them on a regular basis from now through New Year's Day.  Check on them via social media.  Go out with them and do something fun when you can. 

For my trans and gender non conforming fam in that situation this holiday season, do not spend one nanosecond brooding about these holidays and the family that rejected you.  It is not your fault they foolishly chose not to accept the amazing and fabulous person you are.

It's their loss they won't have you at them family gatherings that will be less wonderful without your presence.

While there are some days during this period that are going to be hard not to do so, I challenge you to focus on building holiday memories with the chosen family who do want you in their lives,  I can tell you from experience I light up when I get Christmas cards, baked goods and gifts from my chosen family

There are some cities that have holiday events at their local LGBT centers for the trans and GNC community, so consider attending them.   Hang out with your trans and GNC friends.  Do fun stuff with them, be it Christmas or non Christmas related.  Call other people who may be having a rougher time than you are and talk to them. 

We love you, want you and need your fabulous trans selves to be around for 2019 and beyond

Call trans help lines if you aren't able to talk to someone locally or online, And for you trans allies and accomplices, show your trans family some love this holiday season   Do what you can to make a trans person's life that you are acquainted with better during the holidays.

As I continue to point out, we are an international trans and GNC community.  We are your family,  We understand and feel your pain.   Many of us, myself included, either have been or are still going through it, and we are determined to help you get through this emotion laden rough patch of a season.

I know the holiday can be hard, trans and GNC family.   But there are people inside and outside our community who are standing by to make it better and less sucky for you.   All you have to do is reach out to them and let them help you make things better.

The Holidays Can Be Not So Happy For Trans People

One reason that we are on heightened suicide alert when we are interacting with our trans family is because from TDOR to Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, the holidays can be one long  microaggressive pain in the rear for us as the cartoon aptly illustrates.

Between people who are being deliberately obtuse or outright shady about our transitions by refusing to use the pronouns we've told them repeatedly to us  even after years of mounting evidence that 'this isn't a phase', the holidays can be a time that is not so happy for us.

Isn't one of the tenets of the holiday season supposed to be spreading love, peace, goodwill and joy amongst humankind in a world that is sorely in need of it? 

Last time I checked, yeah, it is.    So help a trans person out during this time by acknowledging the person standing in front of you and frankly, doing better than the rest of society    It's deeply appreciated by Trans World, the trans person in particular and their supportive families and friends when you take the time to be a caring person.

If you have room at your Christmas dinner table, or your holiday parties, extend an invite to that transperson who is struggling with the prospect of being alone and disconnected from their families during this time of relentless holiday advertisements and Christmas music singing about home and family .

Trans fam, if you're feeling down , call someone, be it a trusted friend or the hotlines that are standing by and ready to assist you.

And for my Trans family, if your blood family is tripping, their loss.  Spend time making holiday memories and establishing holiday traditions with your chosen one.

Let's Stop Trans Suicides This Holiday Season

Now that we've passed Thanksgiving and counting down to the Festival of Unbridled Capitalistic Consumption on December 25,  we definitely need to be on heightened alert for signs of our community members who may be contemplating taking their own lives.

It has been a tough year for transkind, and while we had some wins, we have also had to endure a tsunami of anti trans ignorance coming from fundamentalists, TERF's and Republicans

While that anti-trans hatred may be ignored at other times of the year, during a period like the holiday season with its happy happy joy joy pictures of smiling families breaking bread with each other and unwrapping gifts may be hurtful to people depressed about not being with their loved ones during the holiday season and can lead them down the path of taking their own life in response.

So during this 2017 holiday season, if you know a member of our trans family who is depressed over not being with their blood family for the holidays or any other reason, reach out to those community members and make sure they are feeling loved, wanted and needed.  Included them in your activities and dinner plans if you're able to do so.

And if you need to talk to someone, several organizations have hotlines or support lines that you can call and talk to someone.

Trans Lifeline is one of those organizations you can call at (877) 565-8860 in the US and in Canada (877) 330- 6366.

The Trevor Project  has a 24 hour hotline geared toward helping our youth, and you can call it at 1-866-488-7386

Let's do our part to make sure we don't lose any people to suicide this holiday season.