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It's a sad fact: A disproportionate part of my time in this column is spent talking about death. It is a topic that simply comes up quite often in transgender circles. There's no clear, modern statistics on how dangerous our lives truly are. Many of us live in high-risk situations, many of us deal often with suicidal feelings and self-destructive tendencies, and many of us face a greater-than-average chance of hate-related violence. Just one of these would up the ante on us, but add them all together and things can be quite volatile indeed.

I want to talk about two deaths in particular this month: one a homicide, the other an unfortunate accident. Both dealt with transgender people.

From the article

Quote from: Call to ActionYet I also know one thing. In spite of any of that, sometimes you need those who are bold, and brash, and difficult. Not everything can be done in your best suit dress, playing nice for lawmakers and others. Sometimes you have to be big, sometimes you are simply not going to move forward any other way.

Ruby needs people like Nadia, just as we all do.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act is being re-introduced in Washington,D.C. The version in the House of Representatives is transgender inclusive. Sen. Ted Kennedy, however, is not presenting a transgender-inclusive bill in the Senate, and the Human Rights campaign wants you to thank him for it. HRC would like you to thank both your Representative and your Senator for supporting this bill, including the version that will not do a damned thing for Ruby or any other victim of an anti-transgender murder.

If you ask me, this is not one of those times to jot off a friendly thank-you note. This is the time to press the issue and point out that this bill must include transgender people. Non-inclusion, in the long run, helps no-one.

HRC has made public proclamations that they will not support bills that are not transgender inclusive. Yet again, we see them asking you to support them in pushing for a bill that will not serve the whole of the community.

This is a time to be bold, and brash, and big. It is a time to be difficult, and not let people like Ruby die without at least some redress for her death. It is a time to fight back against those who would call us all worthy of straightjackets.

In short, it's time to make a world where transgender people need not die senseless deaths.

Karen