“In times of turbulence and rapid change, you must constantly be re-evaluating yourself relative to the new realities.” ~
Brian Tracy
The American Journal of Public Health states, “Transgender individuals experience a dramatically higher prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence victimization compared with cisgender individuals, regardless of sex assigned at birth.”
In 2015 when Bruce Jenner, now known as Caitlyn Jenner, came out as a transgender woman, I remember being quite shocked and not a little judgmental. I am sure I knew the term transgender before her announcement but had never given it much thought. Now less than ten years later we have lived through “turbulence and rapid change” in reference to gender and the term transgender is no longer unfamiliar, although it remains an enigma to many.
My self-re-evaluating has involved a lot of reading, discussions, and internal examination. Today I want to share a video with you that includes tips from transgender individuals and their family members that can aid us in navigating the new realities.
The video is from Restore Austin Church. The purpose of sharing a church video is not to promote the religious content. The purpose is to assist those that may be struggling to understand our transgender neighbors by sharing terms, tips and tone in the video. I believe this information can be helpful as we serve our transgender clients and their families.
Please see the time stamps below to access the segments of the video that may be helpful or interesting to you.
0-11:42 Introduction to Austin churches history with LBGTQ policies
11:42 Definition of sex and gender terms
17:17 Definition of transgender
20:00 Tips from transgender community
23:30 Definition of homophobia and transphobia
25:15 Sermon-Acceptance of all people including transgender
Quote from the video:
“ Be kind to transgender folks. Listen to them. Learn from them. And be kind and patient with people struggling to understand.”
HAVEN Advocates are here to help!
