Speech by Annie, parent of a trans daughter, at the 2012 Milwaukee Transgender Day of Remembrance.
First of all I wish to commend and tell all of the transgender community how courageous you all are for living your lives for who you truly are on the inside. You are beautiful individuals who do not deserve to live in fear because of who you are. My daughter told me at the age of almost 4 she was not a boy but a girl. I often refer to knowing how Mother Mary felt as she watched her son Jesus chastised for who He truly was—she watched Him persecuted for His beliefs. He was misunderstood and tried to change the beliefs of people who were hostile and didn’t want to believe in His words. You can believe that you are a form of Jesus walking this earth and educating those that don’t believe. You have elected a US State Senator who will take your voice to Washington. Please use this as an opportunity to have your voice heard. But unfortunately there are still non-believers and those that hate. I believe the root of all evil comes from those that are fearful of what they don’t understand. So my goal is to offer education and love and support in your community, so this day will be for the survivors and not those that lost their lives for who they truly are–even if the outside looks different than what is truly on the inside.
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This piece of writing was submitted and read at the Milwaukee Wisconsin Transgender Day of Remembrance event on November 19, 2012.