12 Little Things You Can Do To Promote Trans Equality
We often wonder just what does it take to move a mountain like getting the larger community to accept (and hopefully embrace) transgender, genderqueer or gender questing people.
The truth is that you have likely moved moved many mountains in your life. I know that I have in mine. We have earned degrees, launched careers, raised families, started businesses and so much more. And when you think about those accomplishments - your accomplishments - so many of them involved little steps. The biggest goals are not accomplished in one fell swoop... Instead they are achieved by taking one step forward at a time while keeping your goals and priorities in mind.
With that in mind, what follows is a list that was inspired by an article published by the National Center for Transgender Equality (You can see their original article with 52 items you can do here). Some of the items on this list may seem daunting, but so many of them are little things - things that take no more than 15 minutes.
My personal favorites are the ones that increase the visibility of our community while supporting local businesses. Studies show that positively interacting with someone for as little as 15 minutes can change their attitude and their mind. So take a look and pick out something - something little - that you can do to change a mind today.
#1: Go out to lunch and interact with the waitstaff #2: Ask your library to carry books that deal positively with trans people #3: Invite your mayor or other elected official to address a trans group or town meeting #4: Visit a museum or attend a cultural or sporting event en-femme or en-homme #5: Start an online community or a blog that deals with an issue that is important to you #6: Donate money to an organization providing direct services for transgender people #8: Visit the offices of your congressional representative and educate them about trans issues #9: Volunteer in your community
#10: Go shopping and support local businesses as a trans-person
#11: Write an op-ed for your local paper
#12: Vote!
So how do you move a mountain? The answer is obvious...One shovel full at a time. So let's get moving!
Thanks for checking in!
