How can I convince someone that I deserve to exist as much as anyone else? For decades, this has been my work. I have had to lobby for rights so many others take for granted, not just in the offices of my state legislators, but also in the professional settings where I conduct sensitivity training workshops, and even in my own doctor’s office.
Something as simple as going on a date or taking the subway home late at night as a trans woman can be dangerous. That’s why I was elated in February, when the House of Representatives narrowly passed the Equality Act, which would ban discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity.