Transgender Intolerance

[Trinity]

Check out this video from my dear friend Erica.

She attempted suicide January 2007.  I tried February 2007.


This video makes me cry.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1845447244

[jeri]

it made me cry, too....

[J.T.]

strong video

[Kate]

How is Erica today? Is she OK? Can you invite her here?

Such a beautiful woman. That was... heartbreaking

~Kate~

[RebeccaFog]

How is Erica today? Is she OK? Can you invite her here?

Such a beautiful woman. That was... heartbreaking

~Kate~

Totally beautiful. I thought she was twenty years younger than her profile has her at.

I believe our time will come.


Rebecca

[Wendy]

Well at least my tear glands work well.

[Suzy]

Really awesome video.  Thanks for sharing it.
Kristi

[Hazumu]

MySpace quit sending me the bits about a third of the way through, and won't start back up again.  Do they throttle bandwidth when a users' content becomes too popular?  Is there a way to get the video 'naked', i.e., in a quicktime or wma file that can be put on a thumb drive?

I'm still waiting to see the rest...

Karen
<<<Emily Litella voice>>>  --never mind...



Karen

[cindianna_jones]

Is there ANYONE here GID afflicted who has not attempted or seriously considered suicide?

...........


Cindi

[seldom]

Is there ANYONE here GID afflicted who has not attempted or seriously considered suicide?

...........


Cindi

Raises hand.  Never even thought about it...ever.

I had too many outlets to remind me even though I felt trapped, my life was never worthless.  Even with the constant anxiety, ocassional depression, and life falling apart in cycles.  For all I accomplished, and all I can accomplish in my life it would be a terrible waste.  Not everybody effected is suicidial (nor do I believe that this should be a criteria like some would suggest).  It is just very common.  Even in my darkest times, I always knew there was a way out, and there was always the hope one day a clear path will present itself. While there was sadness, there was always hope.  People who have hope, tend not to be suicidal.

This is not to say other things did not cross my mind.  I was to much of a wimp to carry them out, and I knew of the consequences if I did. 


Of course I ran towards androgyny rather than masculinity.  It is a little bit less stressful and well...you feel less trapped if you can't transition.  I turned my back with regards to much of masculinity at 14.  There were subtle psychological benefits in the long run since I always identified as a gender variant and fell into subcultural tendancies and have more flexiblility with gender expression.  Eventually it does get to me, and pretty hard (my life fell apart where it seemed like I could not function), but transitioning does not seem nearly as frightening since I have always been percieved as weird or queer, and identified as such.  When you also realize you are not trapped forever, even if you have to keep things closeted for awhile for one reason or another, things do not seem so hopeless.  It was just waiting for the right opportunity in my life. 

[jeri]

this is a terrible topic, but i did try suicide once - or at least once. i am ashamed of a lot of things, and suicide is just one of many. i sometimes think half of my life was an extended suicide attempt. i have totalled 13 cars, 7 DUI's, gunfights with the police, just plain gunfights. i have done some pretty radical and ugly stuff. i could blame it on dealing with issues or whatever, but i don't want to make excuses. i was stupid and i made a lot of stupid choices. i am blessed that i never hurt anyone. really really blessed.

suicide is all to big a temptation for all teens, yet alone those who are transgendered. there is a lot of confusion going on through those years. as adults, we hopefully learn that life is not fair, and just learn to count our blessings. for some of us, unfortunately, it takes even longer...

[Chaunte]

I will admit that I have been to the edge and stared into the abyss.  What is frightening is just how comforting the blackness seemed.  Its almost like the siren's song that Ulysses heard.

But, having been to the edge, I don't see myself going back.  This girl has a battle to fight ... and win.

Chaunte

[Chandra21]

Yeah, the world is pretty hateful towards transgendered folks... Its saddening. I have never actually tried suicide since I learned I was GID, but I have had suicidal feelings... I remember a couple times when I was younger (before I even learned I had GID), because i felt I was different from other boys and girls and therefore teased by them, I would hold a knife and contimplate whether or not I should just stab myself in the gut.

It doesn't help that the church I belong to doesn't take to kindly to transexuals who want to undergo Sex Reassignment.