Today is Friday, 21 November. The Transgender Day of Remembrance was yesterday. It was the second such service I helped with this week, the other being the Tuesday morning chapel service at
school.
At this time last year, I was a huge mess. This year, it was a bit easier it was less emotionally taxing. And that was due to my ever-growing circle of friends.
That's not to say my friends didn't support and uphold me last year. They most certainly did. In fact, the support I received from those friends last year was key to me applying to seminary. There are many who helped me. But for 2013 I want to especially thank (in no particular order) Chuck Fry, Rev. Lee Whittaker, Rev. Philip Tanner, Lauren Renee Hotchkiss, Rev. Gina Pond, Sarah Thompson, Denise Cicuto, Calyxa Omphalos, Melanie Marquis, Rev. Abigail Schairer and everyone from SisterSpirit, P. Suefenas Virius Lupus and the
Ekklesía Antínoou, the Graves family, and many more.
This year, I can add to the list of persons to thank: the Circle of Dionysus and those who held space for me at the "Yes They Are!" ritual, the
Circle of Cerridwen for believing in me and welcoming me into the Circle, my many new friends at
PSR (including but not limited to Nikki, Ariel, Jamie, Marie, Trust, Tara, Naomi, Michelle (both of them), Joe, Amy, Winford, the list goes ever on), Prof. Sharon Fennema, Lily Zheng, and many others.
But most especially I want to thank my partner, Anne Marie Judson. Anne, you are the main reason why I am able to wade through the horror that is the TDoR and still feel whole. I love you.
There are cisgender allies in the above lists as well as other trans persons and numerous persons with non-binary gender identities. Together, we will stand.
