The observance was founded by Michigan-based transgender activist Rachel Crandall in 2009 as a reaction to the lack of LGBT holidays celebrating transgender people, citing the frustration that the only well-known transgender-centered observance was the Transgender Day of Remembrance which mourned the loss of transgender people to hate crimes, but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community.
Locally we have had a long ardious journey raising awareness with not only John Public's understanding of transgender issues but sadly back then the very advocacy structures including JFLAG; invisibility/omission were the biggest challenges to overcome but there is some growth within the last couple years. It was an uphill battle to get the outfit to finally start acting on more inclusion in the narrative nationally.
There were days when even persons left transgender individuals to be seen as confused persons and this blog was one of the few spaces then in the late 2000s to begin to change that thinking. Then there was the conflation of transgender issues with drag/transvestite culture and certain words usage such as 'tranny' and such which etymology was from drag queen culture and not meant to stigmatize our transgender colleagues. See: The difficult task of separating drag culture from transgender identity 2013
Sean Claude Neufville an APJ Seizmic participant explains her/his journey
shot from Taboo Yardies documentary with Moyette Morgan and Laura Garcia at the time which was screened in Jamaica in 2013, see more HERE
Groups such as Colour Pink, Transwave and my affiliated Aphrodite's P.R.I.D.E Jamaica, APJ coupled with some enlightenment from HIV agencies such as JASL finally of which I am pleased things are looking on the up.
If only in the homeless/displacement department there can be some more intensive work and opportunities for a way out; despite some of the aforementioned agencies not acting on the full knowledge over forty years of the consequence of stigma and discrimination is evidenced in forced evictions and homelessness.
view it HERE
A recent study also showed how some three hundred plus persons felt about seeing asylum as a way out of Jamaica with more than 70% surveyed agreeing. APJ has been doing work in conjunction with groups and individuals and on Human Rights Day 2015 launched our website to add to the awareness thrust.
In 2014, the holiday was observed by activists across the world — including in Ireland and in Scotland. In 2015, many transgender individuals participated in an online social media campaign on websites including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. Participants posted selfies, personal stories, statistics regarding transgender issues and other related content to raise awareness and increase visibility.
I wanted to highlight for today a previous case I had dealt with way back in 2008 when I was in crisis interventions at JFLAG and Admin/Finance and her progress since in evidence of resilience and such. Lady Moyette as I called her then was a stone's throw away from being murdered as this previous post shows, see: Transgenderism in Jamaica: A victim's ordeal before and after photos show the journey since.
Before:
I am so happy she is OK and still quietly working though not in Jamaica anymore.
Live up and a huge thanks to Laura Garcia of APJ and others from the old guard whose push over the years helped to change the narrative towards more tolerance and acceptance.
Peace & tolerance
H
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