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I want to share a story with you that helped open my eyes. The story starts when Adi and I flew to Iowa for the LJ. We were both wearing Pete shirts, Adi was wearing his trans pride shirt. We had a stop over in Texas and Adi was scared (I was nervous too). When the plane landed
he quickly put on his jacket and zipped it all the way up so that no one could see his shirt. He immediately felt better, hiding his shirt and essentially his identity behind his jacket. We were both very cautious as we walked to our gate and I made sure that Adi stayed right
by my side. Before we got there, Adi needed to use the restroom. I stood outside the restroom door, watching men go in and out, literally counting the minutes, trying to decide how long was too long and at what point I should run in and rescue my child. Was this an overreaction?
Absolutely, but it felt very real at the time. He was fine, we boarded our flight and Adi happily removed his jacket. After we returned home, I was talking to a black friend about my trip and about the airport in Texas. I told her how scared we were and about how Adi had to zip
his jacket to feel safe. I told her how afraid I had been when he went into the restroom and how worried I was that someone would hurt him, just because he is trans. What she said in response is something that I will never forget and is something that I think about often.
She said, "Dale, we feel that fear every second of every day but can& #39;t zip up a jacket and make it go away. There is nothing I can do to feel safe because there is nothing I can do to hide the color of my skin." Her words made me cry. I experienced that fear and anxiety for maybe
an hour and it was awful. I cannot imagine what it feels like to spend every single day wondering if someone is going to hurt you or someone you love because of something that is out of your control. I have no idea what it is like to live a day in her shoes, I& #39;ve only had a small
taste, but it was enough for me to know that it is absolutely unacceptable and cannot go on. Things need to change and we need to take an active role in making that change happen. We have to be the voices for those that are tired of screaming because they are not being heard.
