Ignorance is not a synonym for acceptance.

~ Rev. Dr. Erin K. Swenson

There is an accepting and safe Transgendered community, but it often operates like a ghetto. Stay in the community, stay in the closet and you are safe and secure. The word "discrete" is used a lot.

To come out in public, to let one's broader community and faith community know that one is transgendered is an act of courage -- the scary kind of act that is necessary to move us from oppression to toleration then to acceptance and eventually to understanding and celebration. It is an act of profound risk, for one risks losing everything in life for what may seem only a meager reward: living in honesty about who one is.

~ Starchild

The violence is real, even if the media is silent.

Remembering Our Dead

~ a project by Gwen Smith

Transpeople die. They are murdered, left to die by neglect of medical professionals, preyed upon by unscrupulous people, and die by their own hands. Transphobia kills, but it is merely a secondary infection. The primary infection, just as with homophobia, is ignorance.

~ (anonymous)

It does not do to pay lip service to transgender inclusion in hate crimes or human rights issues. Gender, or the perception of gender, is at the root of all sexual minority issues. "Who we are" is more basic than "what we do" or "to whom we are attracted." It is, therefore, a more explosive and dangerous issue in a world that values homogeneity.

We as transgendered Christians and human beings are always at far greater risk than our GLB sisters and brothers. We are often experienced as more "offensive" because our appearance is outside the norm. So, please do not add the "T" in the acronym just because its a habit or politically correct -- but because you really believe in it. Hug a transgendered person today and make a personal commitment to keep us in the human family.

~ Rev. Dr. Erin Swenson

The fear of discrimination and rejection is very great for those of us who are perceived as being so different from everyone else. As a result, we tend to live very quiet, private, secret lives in order to survive.

~ Kim Jernigan

In some ways I almost feel as though we are nothing more than an afterthought and mentioned only to keep us happy and shut us up, but not worthy of full inclusion. This has often been the case I've found from the lesbian and gay community as a whole. I know of few transgendered people who do not and will not support the gay and lesbian community but recipical support seems to be hard to find. Perhaps its because "next to us, they look normal?" and so don't want to associate with us? Whatever the case, I do find it disheartening.

~ Stephanie Martinez

Many gender transitions that have been otherwise well planned and executed have been failures because spiritual realities were ignored or minimized.

~ Rev. Dr. Erin Swenson

You know, there are several aspects to lack of inclusion. The most annoying is the "We don't want men in dresses in wimminspace/in the women's rest room/etc." Also annoying is the "You're just a different kind of homosexual". The more subtle is the "Oh! I didn't see you there!" And the still more subtle "Oh! Did you need/want something?"

The first is hardest to bridge because of the emotionally charged issues. The last is probably the easiest. All four are symptoms of ignorance. Education cures ignorance.

~ (anonymous)