A memory came up on my Facebook feed from 4 years ago. I was living in North Carolina at the time and the “Bathroom Bill” (HB2) had just passed. The bill stated that people had to use the bathroom that corresponded with the sex they had a birth, not the gender that they identified as. Obviously, this caused extreme outrage and fear from the LGBTQ+ community and their allys. I remember this day so clearly and how my heart broke for that woman. Now, we are fighting for people of color. I pray for a day when we will no longer have to fight these battles because everyone is valued as they are- as equals.

Below is the original post:

“We went out to eat at a restaurant recently, shortly after HB2 passed. At the table next to us was a transgender woman who also appeared to have Parkinson disease, enjoying a night out with her partner.

Before our food came, I said I wanted to run to the bathroom to wash my hands. A simple task I do multiple times a day without even thinking about it. As I got up, I realized that this act I take for granted was undoubtedly something the woman next to me had extreme anxiety and uncertainty about. She couldn’t even wash her hands in a public restroom without being judged or told that something about her was wrong, especially here in NC.

I realized that she was a much stronger person then I ever will be and the hate, judgement and ignorance she must experience each day is probably more than I will in my entire life because I happen to look the way I do. I happen to have the sexuality I do, the skin color I do, the capable body I do, the nationality I do, the supportive family I do. I didn’t choose this, just like no one else chooses how they are born and made yet society tells us we need to judge other people on these factors no one has any control over. How many things do I take for granted each day that other people struggle and fight for?

It doesn’t seem fair, it ISN’T fair. The fact that some people believe one life or lifestyle matters more than another is shameful. We’re all in this together, we’re each fighting our own battles and until there are no more battles of equality to flight, I will offer all the support I can.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *