Transgender DOR Observance

General talk about CD/TGing and gender topics that aren't necessarily fun things we do while en femme, or for gender-driven discussions.

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Jaye
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Transgender DOR Observance

Post by Jaye »

Thursday evening I'm driving over to Norfolk for an observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance. I haven't been out en femme in weeks, and the weather's turned all kinds of chilly in the interim. Dress up? Dress down? I'm at a loss.
Last edited by Jaye on Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
The most common form of despair comes from not being who you are. - Soren Kierkegaard
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DonnaT
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Post by DonnaT »

Most will be in jeans and such. It's not really a dress up type of memorial, like a funeral would be.
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Carolynn
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Post by Carolynn »

Like Donna said, dress in jeans and a warm top, jacket according to your weather. It's supposed to be windy in several areas and wind chill does pertain. Oh, some gloves might be good too.

Our temperature in Oklahoma is not expected to break 50 for a high, and will likely be in the 40s degree F. at the time of the observance, with wind. May make the candles hard to keep lighted!!! :)
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Jaye
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Post by Jaye »

Thanks. I had pretty much decided to wear jeans and a sweater, probably with boots and my fuzzy coat.
The most common form of despair comes from not being who you are. - Soren Kierkegaard
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Jaye
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Post by Jaye »

Well, that was certainly interesting. I had never been to a Unitarian Church before. I haven't been in any church in I don't know how many years. I wasn't comfortable, but I was willing to endure for the sake of memory. There were a lot of people there I didn't know, but they were very welcoming. I did eventually bump into a couple of people I had met, either at Pink Essence or at my one visit to JRTS in Richmond.

There were a couple of guest speakers, talking about the dangers of prejudice and hatred. There was a reading of the names of those who have fallen in the last year. Special mention was made of the fact that the list was compiled on November 10, and there were another eight reported deaths in the last ten days. Afterwards, there were refreshments, and I got to meet some people and hang out for a bit.

In a room offset from the sanctuary, the church had set up a labyrinth, a maze on a HUGE sheet of cloth taped to the floor. It's used for meditative purposes. I decided that I could use some centering, so I decided to give it a go. Before I entered, I remembered a bit of dialog from The Empire Strikes Back. It's from when Luke goes to his test in the cave. He asks Yoda what he will find there, and Yoda says, "Only what you take with you." George Lucas is a smart dude.

Just walking through the maze generated a whole range of emotions. Fear, anger, grief, joy; I felt all of these. I walked all the way to the center, then walked all the way back out. It was rough going, but at the end, I found a kind of peace.
The most common form of despair comes from not being who you are. - Soren Kierkegaard
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Anita
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Post by Anita »

Hi Jaye--
Just walking through the maze generated a whole range of emotions. Fear, anger, grief, joy; I felt all of these. I walked all the way to the center, then walked all the way back out. It was rough going, but at the end, I found a kind of peace.
That must have been a surprise, to get flooded with all of that in a back room at a Unitarian Church. The Unitarian Church that I went to for awhile had both agnostics and atheists in it, so I'd have to say that it's not the traditional church you might have grown up with.

Missed the DOR this year. It's been several years since I marched down Market Street in San Francisco, and saw the woman who originated the event. Mark Leno was there; he's been a transgender advocate for many years, first on the board of supervisors in SF, and then in the state assembly and senate. All in all, I was glad I was there.
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