🏳️‍⚧️Supporting Trans Survivors🏳️‍⚧️

Last week, my heart was aching - for the state of the world and for my own survivorship. I reached out to trusted colleagues and loved ones to let them know I was struggling. The collective care settled my heart and mind, allowing my body to relax and the work to continue.

In case you find yourself wanting to know how to support trans survivors, the best place to start is by asking and caring. Start from your heart.

Here are just a few of the messages I received from colleagues. They didn't have to say much, or the 'right' thing. Just opening their hearts and sending compassion made a world of difference in my soul.

I want you to know that I stand proudly with you and with all trans people. I am grateful that you trusted us enough to name it directly. You deserve safety, dignity, joy, and a community that refuses to look away in the face of hate.

Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing that with us. I hope you know that you have my personal support, and my support as a SARA board member, to prioritize your health when your identity is being attacked. 

I want to offer my personal support as well and let you know that if you need me to step in...I'll do my very best. At work, we decided to support Point of Pride this month https://www.pointofpride.org/about.

I hold you, and all marginalized people in the light daily, as we are together in the fight against the creeping darkness to ensure that love and humanity wins every day.  I went to the most beautiful wedding last weekend where we took a moment to reflect on every person’s humanity, right to life, right to love, and affirmed our LGBTQ siblings around the world.

We are navigating such dark and perilous times right now, but of paramount importance is the unacceptably abhorrent threats being made to (and carried out against) the health and safety of transgender people, immigrant families, and people of color for existing as they are and want to be. You and everyone deserve to live safely, fully, and authentically without fear or limitation, and we should be able to serve our communities the same.

Speaking up, raising flags, donating to affirming organizations, and civic engagement are as important as our attitude - building caring and personal connections within our community.

None of us are free until we are all free.

May we all survive to see our way out of this darkness together.

With love,

Bass