I love advocacy. I love writing. And trans advocacy from authentic voices literally saves lives. You may not even know it, but someone you care about right now is LGBTQ. Many of them live “in the closet,” due to fear.

Sadly, 2019 has already seen over 16 trans people brutally murdered – as with every year, most of them are black trans women. Transgender youth are the most likely demographic to attempt or complete suicide – not because of their gender dysphoria, but because of the way society (and often, their family) stigmatizes them.

Conisder these points, from HRC:

• In 30 states, LGBTQ people remain at-risk of being fired, evicted, or denied services because of who they are, and 35 states have yet to ban the dangerous & debunked practice of “conversion therapy.”
• Hate crimes are rising, and more than 100 transgender people — most of them transgender women of color — have been killed in the U.S. in the last five years. 

I’m thankful that with hard work, a strong & vocal LGBTQ community, and increasing awareness, Gov. Roy Cooper recently issued a statewide ban on “conversion therapy” in our state. North Carolina is the first state in the south to take this measure.

Gov. Cooper announced his intention to do this during the first ever Pride event held in the NC Governor’s Mansion in June, 2019. My husband, myself, and our transgender teen were priviliged to have been invited and able to attend that special gathering. On August 2, 2019, Gov. Cooper made good on his word and signed the Executive Order banning the harmful, debunked practice of “conversion therapy.”

That said, we still have a long way to go.

The Trump-Pence Administration has directly attacked the LGBTQ community by banning transgender troops from serving our country openly, undermining health care services for people living with HIV, and seeking to erase LGBTQ people – especially transgender people – from protections under law. (HRC)

I’m passionate about shedding awareness on these jarring statistics. I’m passionate in my belief that advocacy – through authentic stories – can change hearts and minds, increase empathy, and even save lives.

But advocacy in this form takes hard work, research, time, and yes, even money. Your small donation will have a large impact on my urgent and continuing work, to help open minds and save lives. Please donate if you can.