August SelvaggioOn August 27th, 2023, in her acceptance speech after receiving a “Streamy” award for Breakout Creator, Dylan Mulvaney proclaimed, “I think allyship right now needs to look differently, and you need to support trans people publicly… and proudly.”
A prominent influencer and activist for transgender rights, Mulvaney is best known for her Instagram video series “Days of Girlhood,” through which she has cataloged her experiences living publicly as a woman since the first days of her transition. In her speech, Mulvaney also drew a contrast between the promising future of support and success for transgender figures due to growing public acceptance, and the simultaneous increase of hostility and derision toward transgender people–– especially those in the public eye. Succinct and insightful, Mulvaney’s words hold relevance not only in the context of larger American media, but also in smaller settings–– even here at Lincoln School. As transgender identities continue to be the victims of political scapegoating, and as transgender people have witnessed the constant reduction of their humanity to a controversy, committed allyship is desperately needed to restore a sense of dependability for transgender individuals. “Compassion fatigue” is a phenomenon described by the New York Times as “when a person who wants to and has been trying to help address a problem … begins to personalize and experience the distress of those they are trying to help.” Compassion fatigue can lead to a lessened energy or investment in a cause once it becomes too painful for its supporters. Compassion fatigue can also serve as a form of “secondary trauma,” leading its victims to take on the emotional burdens of those who have been subjected to the issues they work to solve. Marginalized people, and those close to high-tension social issues, are at risk for compassion fatigue, and in our current social and political climate, transgender people feel the gravity of the hatred and lack of support for transgender people nationwide, even when we are not personally subjected to it–– and especially when we are. Each misgendering, each deadnaming, and every instance of transphobia ranging from malice to ignorance holds enormous weight. We acknowledge that not every act of transphobia is conducted with the same viciousness or venom, and we do not intend to draw such conclusions. However, we also require a greater deal of effort from our allies than ever before to counter the rifeness of such an affliction. Simply put, there is no place for indifference right now. Here at Lincoln, transgender students need your attention and commitment. As prominent contributors to our community despite our minority status, we expect the same care and respect that we bring to school each day–– especially from teachers. Continuously misgendering students long after meeting them is unacceptable, as is deadnaming them. Transgender students deserve to feel and be supported and known at Lincoln school, which, in its official Gender Admission Guidelines, promises, “Should a current Lincoln student begin to identify as male, non-binary, intersex, or gender nonconforming, the student will continue to have a home at Lincoln School… Lincoln values the safety and respect of all members of our community, no matter their gender identity.” Through projects from our GSA and affinity groups, and activism from transgender students here at school, we have been committed to educating you about the etiquette surrounding our personhood–– now make us your priority. Particularly at Lincoln, transgender students are in need of role models–– those who are transgender and those who are allied with us–– who are invested in seeing us through to flourishing futures, and who serve as living examples that advocacy for marginalized identities, as well as those identities themselves, do not end in adulthood. It is paramount that we can turn to teachers for support as we navigate a period of our lives characterized by transition in all forms. There are, of course, positive trends in public behavior as well. Because consistency in allyship means so much right now, teachers who uphold a pedagogy of support and flawless affirmation are tremendously valued, and the GSA would like to thank them for their dependability. If you’d like advice on how to improve at correctly referring to transgender people, please see my other article, “Correction: How We Can Use Language to Stop Misgendering and Start Affirming.” If you’re curious about Lincoln’s response to changing protocols surrounding gendered language and transgender identity, please consider reading my research paper, “Gendered Language in Community Interactions.” GSA thanks you for your investment in change, and looks forward to the progress we will see within our Lincoln School community.
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