Right around the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic, I lost hope. I saw the worst of us on display during that time. I looked in horror upon the anti-vaxxing, anti-masking, privileged, blatantly racist, proudly ignorant population, and I lost hope. All of it. All my faith in humanity – right down the drain.

Before then, I didn’t realize how much I actually relied on that hope to get through life. It was only when I lost it that I missed it and realized it. I spent a few years in an emotional rock bottom. I withdrew, physically and emotionally, in disgust. I stayed in my bedroom, leaving it only to eat and to work. I cried a lot. I wept when I caught glimpses of people or performances that espoused hopefulness. (Such a performance was Melody Gardot’s music video for “From Paris With Love”. It’s made up of selfie-recorded videos from people all over the world during the pandemic. It’s worth watching. Melody Gardot - From Paris With Love (Official Music Video) (youtube.com))

Monday. March 31
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By a general estimate, there are 3.3 million transgender adults across the United States. Trans, non-binary, and gender-expansive youth and adults are a part of every community. We are parents and family members. We are your coworkers, your neighbors and your friends. We are a diverse community, representing all racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as all faith traditions.

While we have made significant progress in recent years, and visibility alone is not enough. Our rights, our safety, and our very lives are being threatened.