9: Shattering the Myth of the Bathroom Boogeyman

In this episode, Jessica and Claire talk with Lynn Goralski and Lisa Keating about what it means to be transgender and what the fight for trans rights looks like in Washington. Lynn is a transgender woman who advocates for LGBTQ rights in Pierce County and Lisa is the founder of My Purple Umbrella, an organization that advocates for gender diverse youth and their families. Lisa is also the mother of a transgender daughter. Today’s podcast was recorded before the deadline for signature gathering on I-1552 - a potential Washington State ballot initiative that would have banned transgender people from using public facilities that match their gender identity. Thankfully I-1552 did not gather enough signatures to make the ballot, but there are many anti-trans initiatives and campaigns happening right now in the U.S. – one of them is in Anchorage, AK. Fair Anchorage is the organization opposing the anti-trans initiative, to learn more about Fair Anchorage and what they are doing, visit their website http://www.fairanchorage.org/.

Terminology – Transgender is an umbrella term to describe a person whose internal sense of self does not match their body. Gender diverse is a broad term to explain an individual who doesn’t align with a feminine or masculine side, they are more fluid in how they present their gender and/or identity. Gender non-conforming is another term to describe someone who does not fall into a gender binary (being strictly male or strictly female).

Intersectionality – Trans rights are a feminist issue. Transgender people experience discrimination and oppression at overwhelming rates in every aspect of their lives. Trans people are also the target of large rates of hate crimes. Trans women face higher rates of discrimination, violence, sexual assault and poverty –with trans women of color facing the largest threats. These are all civil rights violations because they are rooted in the denial of a person’s right to be who they are. Equal means equal.

This episode is sponsored by My Purple Umbrella.