The holiday season is cranking up once again and for the next month we'll be inundated with holiday specials showing people with their families.
We'll have commercials trying to sell us stuff with the same returning home for the holidays theme. We'll be inundated with Christmas music on heavy rotation on our favorite radio stations heavy on the home and family message and all the other trappings of the Festival of Conspicuous Consumption and its peace on earth and good will to all message.
I'm blessed to be one of those transpeople that can not only pick up the phone and call my parents and other family members on a regular basis, I get to hang out with them during the holiday season and beyond in the New Year at reunions and other events.
However, there are some people in the trans community that aren't so blessed. Because they are living their lives as their true selves, their families have rejected them Add to it the everyday slights, discrimination, outright disrespect and denial of our humanity aimed at transpeople combined with the relentless drumbeat of happy family life depicted in the media, you have a perfect storm of events that can depress a person in that situation.
If it is not checked in time that can and has led to people in the trans community taking their lives.
The pain of rejection hurts. The pain gets more intense during the holiday season, and hence our heightened concern during the holiday season for our trans community members that are struggling emotionally to get through the holiday season.
So with another holiday season upon us, let's be cognizant of the fact there are people in our community that can't go home for the holidays. There are folks whose families will not invite them to sit at the family Thanksgiving table or get to eat Christmas dinner this year, much less even call them or drop them off a Christmas gift.
If you find yourself in that situation of not having contact with your blood family, combat the holiday blues by creating a family of your own and building holiday traditions with them. If you know of people in the community who are going to be alone today or on Christmas Day, extend an invitation for them to have dinner at your holiday table. They'll deeply appreciate having a destination to go to during this holiday season and you'll have somebody else to share that turkey with.
Failing that, there's always some organization in town who will need volunteers to help them serve Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners to the homeless or less fortunate among us.
Consider doing that to take your mind off the fact you're not with your blood family on this day.
Yes, transpeople need family love every day of the year, but that need is even more pronounced during the holiday season.
And if other people won't give it to you, be tough minded enough to give that gift to yourself.
You Canadian TransGriot readers got your Thanksgiving grub on last month and today is the day that I and the rest of us in the States get to do so.
We get our opportunity to partake in getting our grub on, watching football with family and friends, being thankful for the blessings I and the peeps I love have have received this year and being thankful that Barack Obama is the POTUS and not a Republifool.
I also get to see how well I did picking the three NFL games that will happen later today.
Wanted to take a moment to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving since I'm planning on taking a break from the computer for the day. May you have abundant blessings, tasty food, pleasant company, minimal drama and safe travels to and from your holiday destinations.
If there is any breaking news that warrants me interrupting my turkeyfest to post, or I just have some thought that pops into my head I've got to share with you, it'll get posted. .
And no, I'm not planning on getting up early and going anywhere near a mall or strip shopping center tomorrow depite the fact that everybody in my family knows I'm a night owl.
Today is one of the busiest travel days in the United States. People are converging on airports, train and bus stations or hitting the interstates to go to whatever final destination they are traveling to for Thanksgiving dinner or saying bump it and taking a mini vacation.
I used to dread this period when I worked in the airline biz, but didn't hate on the paycheck because the floodgates got opened on all the overtime and the personnel we needed to efficiently get through it.
Besides, there were some humorous moments that came out of it at times. My coworkers and nice passengers also made it bearable and fun to do so.
Wednesday was a pain, but Thanksgiving Day itself and Saturday were slow and made up for the drama we had to deal with on Monday, Tuesday and today.
I wanted to take this moment to wish you TransGriot readers in the States who are either traveling to your ultimate destination, see your family and friends or are about to do so, safe journeys up there and back to
wherever you're getting your grub on.
And when you do arrive at your Thanksgiving destination get there, may your food be tasty and your day be drama free as well.
Before he and the FLOTUS hopped aboard Air Force One to start a nine day trip to Asia and the Pacific Rim, President Obama was at Arlington National Cemetery laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and thanking veterans for their service..
Remarks by the President on Veterans Day
11:40 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Ric Shinseki, for your extraordinary
service to our country and your tireless commitment to our veterans; to
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; to Chairman Dempsey and Mrs.
Dempsey; to our wonderful veterans service organizations for the
extraordinary work that you do for our nation’s heroes; to all who tend
to and watch over this sacred cemetery; and above all, to every active
duty member, Guardsman, Reservist, and veteran of the United States
Armed Forces.
There are many honors and responsibilities that come with this
job. But none are more humbling than serving as your
Commander-in-Chief. And I’m proud to be with so many of you here
today.
Here, where our heroes come to rest, we come to show our
gratitude. A few moments ago, I laid a wreath to pay tribute to all who
have given their lives to our country. For even though this is a day
we rightly honor America’s veterans, we gather today in solemn respect
-– mindful that we are guests here; mindful that we share this hallowed
space with a family’s moment of quiet grief; mindful that many veterans
not far from here are tracing their fingers over black granite for
friends who never came home –- and expect us to do all we can to bring
every missing American service member home to their families.
To all our nation’s veterans: Whether you fought in Salerno or
Samarra, Khe Sanh or the Korengal, you are part of an unbroken chain of
men and women who have served this country with honor and distinction.
On behalf of a proud and grateful nation, we thank you.
When I spoke here on this day two years ago, I said there would
be a day before long when this generation of servicemen and women would
begin to step out of uniform. And I made them a promise. I said that
when your tour ends, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil -–
you will be home in an America that is forever here for you, just as
you’ve been there for us. (Applause.)
For many, that day has come. Over the past decade, more than 5
million Americans have worn the uniform of the United States Armed
Forces. Of these, 3 million stepped forward after the attacks of
September 11th, knowing full well that they could be sent into harm’s
way. And in that time, they have served in some of the world’s most
dangerous places. Their service has been selfless. Their
accomplishments have been extraordinary.
In Iraq, they have battled a brutal insurgency, trained new
security forces and given the Iraqi people the opportunity to forge a
better future. In Afghanistan, they have pushed back the Taliban,
decimated al Qaeda, and delivered the ultimate justice to Osama bin
Laden. In concert with our allies, they have helped end Qaddafi’s
brutal dictatorship and returned Libya to its people.
Because of their incredible efforts, we can stand here today
and say with confidence -– the tide of war is receding. In just a few
weeks, the long war in Iraq will finally come to an end. (Applause.)
Our transition in Afghanistan is moving forward. My fellow Americans,
our troops are coming home. (Applause.)
For many military families, this holiday season will be a
season of homecomings. And over the next five years, more than 1
million Americans in uniform will transition back to civilian life,
joining the nearly 3 million who have done so over the past decade and
embraced a proud new role, the role of veteran.
This generation of service members -– this 9/11 Generation -–
has borne the burden of our security during a hard decade of sacrifice.
Our servicemen and women make up less than 1 percent of Americans, but
also more than 1 million military spouses and 2 million children and
millions more parents and relatives -- all of whom have shared the
strains of deployment and sacrificed on behalf of the country that we
love.
Only 27 years old on average, these young men and women have
shattered the false myth of their generation’s apathy, for they came of
age in an era when so many institutions failed to live up to their
responsibilities. But they chose to serve a cause greater than their
selves. They saw their country threatened. But they signed up to
confront that threat. They felt some tug, they answered some call, and
they said, Let’s go. And they’ve earned their place among the greatest
of generations. (Applause.)
That is something for America to be proud of. That is the
spirit America needs now -- a stronger, newer spirit of service and of
sacrifice. That spirit that says, What can I do to help? What can I do
to serve? That spirit that says, When my country is challenged, I will
do my part to meet that challenge.
So on this Veterans Day, let us commit ourselves to keep making
sure that our veterans receive the care and benefits that they have
earned; the opportunity they defend and deserve; and above all, let us
welcome them home as what they are -- an integral, essential part of our
American family. (Applause.)
See, when our men and women sign up to become a soldier or a
sailor, an airman, Marine, or Coast Guardsman, they don’t stop being a
citizen. When they take off that uniform, their service to this nation
doesn’t stop, either. Like so many of their predecessors, today’s
veterans come home looking to continue serving America however they
can. At a time when America needs all hands on deck, they have the
skills and the strength to help lead the way.
Our government needs their patriotism and sense of duty. And
that’s why I’ve ordered the hiring of more veterans by the federal
government. (Applause.) Our economy needs their tremendous talents and
specialized skills. So I challenged our business leaders to hire
100,000 post-9/11 veterans and their spouses over the next few years and
yesterday, many of these leaders joined Michelle to announce that they
will meet that challenge. (Applause.)
Our communities have always drawn strength from our veterans’
leadership. Think of all who have come home and settled on in a quiet
life of service -- as a doctor or a police officer, an engineer or an
entrepreneur, as a mom or a dad -- and in the process, changed countless
lives. Other veterans seek new adventures from taking on a new
business to building a team of globetrotting veterans who use skills
learned in combat to help after a natural disaster.
There are also so many in this young generation who still feel
that tug to serve, but just don’t quite know where to turn. So on this
Veterans Day, I ask every American, recruit our veterans. If you’re a
business owner, hire them. If you’re a community leader -- a mayor, a
pastor or a preacher -- call on them to join your efforts. Organize
your community to make a sustained difference in the life of a veteran
because that veteran can make an incredible difference in the life of
your community.
If you’re a veteran looking for new ways to serve, check out
Serve.gov. If you’re a civilian looking for new ways to support our
veterans and our troops, join Michelle and Jill Biden at
JoiningForces.gov. Find out what you can do. There is no such thing as
too small a difference. That effort you make may have the biggest
impact.
I say this because recently, I received a letter from a Vietnam
veteran. She wasn’t writing to tell me about her own experience. She
just wanted to tell me about her son, Jeremy. Now, Jeremy isn’t
deployed, Jeremy’s not a veteran, or even in the military at all, as
badly as he wants to follow in the footsteps of his family and enlist.
You see, Jeremy has Down Syndrome.
So Jeremy chooses to serve where he can best -– with his local
Vietnam Veterans of America chapter in Beaver, Pennsylvania. He calls
them “the soldiers”. And one day last spring, Jeremy spent the day with
several of these veterans cleaning up a local highway.
“He worked tirelessly,” wrote his mother. “He never asked to
take a break. He didn’t stop to talk about his beloved Steelers. He
didn’t even ask for anything to eat or drink. He only asked for one
thing, several times –- ‘Mom, will President Obama be proud of me for
helping the soldiers?’”
Well, Jeremy, I want you to know, yes, I am proud of you. I
could not be prouder of you, and your country is proud of you. Thank
you for serving our veterans by helping them to continue their service
to America.
And Jeremy’s example -- one young man’s example -- is one that
we must all now follow. Because after a decade of war, the nation we
now need to build is our own. And just as our Greatest Generation left a
country recovering from Depression and returned home to build the
largest middle class in history, so now will the 9/11 Generation play a
pivotal role in rebuilding America’s opportunity and prosperity in the
21st century.
We know it will be hard. We have to overcome new threats to
our security and prosperity, and we’ve got to overcome the cynical
voices warning that America’s best days are behind us. But if there is
anything our veterans teach us, it’s that there is no threat we cannot
meet; there is no challenge we cannot overcome. America’s best days are
still ahead. And the reason for that is because we are a people who
defy those voices that insist otherwise. We are a country that does
what is necessary for future generations to succeed. (Applause.)
You, our veterans, fight so our children won’t have to. We
build and we invent and we learn so that we will know greater
opportunity. America leads so that the next generation, here and around
the world, will know a more hopeful life on this Earth.
So today, I thank you all for making that possible. God bless
you. God bless our veterans and our troops, and God bless the United
States of America. (Applause.)
Today is Veterans Day, when we take a moment to honor the people who have served in our nation's military during peacetime and in combat situations. In some cases, they have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
I wanted to take a moment to especially show some love to transgender vets today. There are those who proudly served, and those who unlike their GLB brothers and sisters must stay in hiding because DADT repal didn't cover them.
While the afterglow has faded from the celebrations of DADT being repealed back in September for our gay, lesbian and bisexual brothers and sisters in the military, we transpeople are now burdened with what they had to deal with in terms of living with the fear of being outed or not being able to openly serve our country.
GLB community, if you repeatedly told anyone who would listen that hiding who you were was an intolerable situation for you, how do you think transpeople feel about that? .
"For 17 years the US has made their gay
lesbian and bisexual service members second class citizens and caused
them to have to lie about who they are and who they love. No longer will
that be the case. We now turn our attention to allowing transgender
people to serve openly." Monica Helms, TAVA President.
"It should be recognized that DADT has
never included directives concerning Transgender people serving in the
military."
"Therefore, there was no call from Transgender Americans to equally
serve in the military of their country, without persecution and
discrimination. However, Transgender people who have and still do serve
under the same pre-DADT conditions, still find it necessary to lie and
hide who they are, contrary to the best traditions of the military. We
now press our GLB brothers and sisters to finish the job and help
provide the means for Transgender people to be able to serve their
country openly and equally as do all Americans."
Angela Brightfeather, TAVA Vice President.
The question is will they do so, or will they revert to their with all deliberate speed 'we'll come back for you' tendencies when it comes to pushing for the human rights of transpeople after they have engorged themselves at the civil rights table?
The fight for transpeople to openly serve continues, and don't forget (nor are we going to let you forget) one of the people who was chained to the White House fence in solidarity with you was transwoman Autumn Sandeen.
She put her butt on the line to help you GLB peeps get DADT repealed, and now it's time for the GLB community to do the same. Time for y'all to stand and deliver and help their transbrothers and transsisters who want the same thing you have achieved in having the ability to openly serve their country as well.
But based on what we're seeing now in terms of the 'all marriage all the time' mentality still permeating GL community organizing, I and other transpeople aren't holding our breath on that.
So when will American transpeople be able to like our counterparts can in six nations around the world openly serve our country? How many Veterans Days will pass before we can?
