We Happy Trans' Jen Richards: 'We have to address the divisions in our community'
by Cindy Xie
May 15, 2013
http://www.outimpact.com/transgender/transgender-issues/we-happy-trans/ During my interview with Jen Richards, I found fresh positivity amongst a sea of negativity in media portrayals of the transgender community.
WeHappyTrans.com (Facebook, Twitter), the brainchild of Jen Richards, acts as an optimistic beacon for trans people. While societal success for transgender people is increasing, obstacles of discrimination, violence, and misunderstanding still remain. We Happy Trans acts as a platform for showcasing happy and successful trans lives that are rarely shown in media today. Via the 7 Questions Project, Jen creates a format for users worldwide to easily share their stories, step by step. The efforts of
WeHappyTrans.com brings the transgender community that much closer to understanding, acceptance, and love. As in the mantra of WeHappyTrans, "We are you. We are here, now."
Below are 7 Questions for Jen herself:
OI: WeHappyTrans is focused largely on the 7 Questions Project. Can you tell me a little more about the thoughts behind the questions? Did you ask yourself these questions when starting We Happy Trans?
JR: There was a lot of thought behind the 7 Questions, and a lot of input from my friends. I was looking for a way to help people frame their stories, both positively and with specificity. By having everyone answer the same set of questions, you can see a comparative range of experiences. Question 1 simply asks their name. This is all the personal information you need to hear someone's story; anything else is discretionary. Many choose to discuss their pronouns, identity, the origin of their name, etc., but it's entirely up to them. The second question is "Who has been most supportive of your transition or gender expression?" We so often go right to whom we've lost, and how much we've done on our own, which is legitimate and important, but I wanted this space to provide people an opportunity to reflect on who has supported them, on the ways in which they're not alone. I love watching people light up as they talk about a particular parent, spouse, a friend. We next ask about what the participant most enjoys about life as trans. Again, the goal here is to provide an alternative to the narratives of loss and struggle. Why do we all do this if it's so damn awful? Not how it gets better, but why it's worth it. More than any other question, this one is designed to give hope to the audience. Question 4 is about trans role models, which is important both so that the participant can acknowledge those whom they've looked up to, but so that as a community we can build up a kind of living database that trans people can look to for guidance and inspiration. In a lot of ways, the Trans 100 is the logical extension of this question.
With the fifth question, we move beyond the self and ask what changes you would most like to see in the world. Trans people are so beholden to a larger system that tells us what we are, how we are to get from here to there, that it's easy to lose touch with our own power. It's important for us to claim our own concerns, to be conscious of our own passions. And so the next question goes a step further and makes the participant accountable: What are you doing to make those changes happen? The scale of our society too easily breeds complacency, but I've been around long enough to see the truth about decisions being made by those who show up. We have power; we just have to claim it. Finally, the last question asks you to share something special or unique about yourself. I never want people to forget that their gender is just one part of who they are. If you focus your entire sense of self on gender, then you're missing the point of transition. We go through this in order to better be our truer selves. One of the many surprises of having seen over 70 responses is that this is typically the most difficult question for people to answer. That says something...but I haven't had a chance to figure out what yet!
