Knowledge Leads to Understanding

How the lack of discussion around LGBTQ+ issues is harming

our progress
By Beth Bogolub

Liam Ezra Dickinson, a 20 year old queer Transgender Male, believes the LGBTQ+
community must speak up.

His girlfriend Maeve Harten, a gender fluid, pansexual believes education will help.

“I want my voice to be heard,” said Dickinson, “The reason that so many of us are
misunderstood is because no one is speaking up.”

They are relying on the first amendment free speech provision of the U.S Constitution,
along with other civil rights protections to move forward, even while the LGBTQ community is
under renewed fire.

In 2016, according to the Human Rights Campaign (The HRC), you may have seen their
logo, a blue box with two yellow lines in the center popping up frequently on the internet, 27
Transgender people were murdered. According to PBS and the Southern Poverty Law Center,
LGBTQ+ people in America are two times more likely to be the target of violent hate crimes
than Muslims or African-Americans.

“Trans women and especially trans women of color--- are statistically more likely to be
the victims of hate crimes than they are to be offenders of an assault,” said Harten.

Two Transgender women were killed in New Orleans this past February 2017 (CNN),
Mesha Caldwell, a Transgender woman was killed in Mississippi this past January 2017 (The
Independent), and as many as six Transgender woman have been killed in the United States since
the beginning of this year.

“Liam will not use a public restroom if he doesn't have to because of the harassment he's
experienced. Trans individuals are being portrayed as predators when they are actually the
victims,” said Harten. “People and the government are acting out of ignorance in order to create
fear that will justify discriminatory legislature and actions against the Trans community.”

However, that being said, we are a society of people who are making their voices heard in
the LGBTQ+ community that hasn’t happened since the 1960’s and 70’s.

“There’s resurgence because the generations before us are taking advantage of our
struggles,” said Dickinson.
 “We’re seeing a push for regression to antiquated racist/homophobic/xenophobic ways of
governing from older, more conservative generations,” said Harten, “we have all fought too hard
for our rights to watch them be taken away without resistance.”

The younger generations are more and more accepting of those who are different,
becoming a voice in our society for change and equality.

“Many bigoted mindsets stem from religious upbringings or teachings, nowadays

children have more room to explore their own spiritualties,” said Dickinson.

“Queer literature and educational tools are readily available online if someone wishes to
learn about queer issues,” said Harten.

“Going to school with people of the LGBTQ community has made me pay attention to
how I speak,” said Emily McCoy a 22 year old senior at Point Park University, “I don’t want to
be offensive, and I realized as someone who grew up in Southeastern Ohio, some things I say
without realizing or meant to be, may come across as, or be, offensive.”

And through everything else, even though transitioning has been hard at time for both
Dickinson and Harten, even though the country seems to not care about their rights or their lives,
and even though people within the LGBTQ+ are confused as to how they are still together even
though Dickinson is changing, there has been support and love through it all.

“We spent Thanksgiving with Maeve’s family in Rhode Island. Everyone was aware that
I was transgender and some of them had even gotten to know me pre-transition,” said Dickinson,
“They all used correct names and pronouns, they treated me just like any other guy that Maeve
would bring home.”

Dickinson has also become a part of the Transgender male community, and through this
community has found strength, and met his best-friend, Adam. “Adam and Maeve have been my
support system and best friends through this all and I’m so thankful for them.”

There is much dissension in this country, and as long as there is something to fight for
people will always disagree, and people will always fight. Knowledge is power, and can lead to
understanding. And perhaps, the more people learn about one another, the more our society can
grow and accept everyone.

“Allowing other queer people to speak on their experiences instead of assuming we

already know them because we too are queer is the best way to promote intersectionality when
fighting for queer causes,” said Harten.

“Being trans. For sure. There are days when I hate it, but I think that is has made me the
strongest I’ve ever been and for that I’m extremely thankful,” said Dickinson.