Gender Neutral Designations for RR's & Family Fun

[VickySGV]

Last Saturday was the Los Angeles Trans Pride festival at the LGBT center in Hollywood CA.  I had volunteered with a couple of groups to help out at display booths, and it turned out that I was the ONLY tech section member for our Trans Chorus of Los Angeles which was to perform the closing musical number for the  evening VarieTy Show (their spelling) of Trans* artists.  The day was extremely hot and humid, but we had several companies that had donated flavored waters and sodas, and were giving and literally shoving them at the festival attendees.  Two weeks before, I had forgotten to drink enough liquid at another event and had become dehydrated, which is a nasty way to screw up your Pride Month fun for a while. As a result I was grabbing the free drinking waters all day as I ran around to several parts of the LGBT Village Center,. All of this resulted in several trips to the rest rooms during the day and simply some running around near them at other times. 

As you entered the gate of the Festival, there were signs that warned you that ALL restrooms in the Center had been designated as Gender Neutral aka Everybody Rest Rooms during the Festival.  No matter which restroom was closest or busiest, whoever you were and however you were dressed if you had to go, you picked which one you wanted or needed. There were non-trans people there for whom this was confusing and maybe a bit nerve wracking at first, but only at first.  Some of those people were there because a relative (niece, nephew, grand child, cousin etc.) had come out and these people were using the festival to find out about Trans* people.  We also had at least three young Trans* children there with their families which included non-trans siblings and cousins.  The bathroom designations which at first seemed strange to some of them actually helped out in the long run since the younger ones were even more free to go with whichever parent as needed.  It really warmed my heart to feel the amount of on-the-spot trust that developed between the parents and older Trans* "grandparents" like myself to keep watch on their children with them, Instead of child predators, we became child guardians, and of all the people I knew there, which were so many I lost count, this is oh so very true.  This was one big FAMILY get together.  The rest rooms were NOT a problem being gender neutral at all.

 

PS--If you get the idea that as busy as I was, I still had time to talk to a huge number of people, you are right.  Old gabby here was in good voice all during the day.

 

[Cindy Truheart]

One of the ladies who has been around a while here commented the other week that she is happy to see our numbers growing because it means that the information is getting out there and more of us are realizing we aren't alone. We had a lot of people talk with us during my 2 hour volunteering at our booth at Pride. Some had kids who were transgender, some were transgender and just discovering it, some were cisgender and just couldn't get it, but most were cisgender and willing to be educated!!

[Carolyn Marie]

Thanks for doing all that great stuff at the Festival, Vicky.  You do so much good work, and are helpful to everyone you meet.  You're a Mensch.  Sorry I could not be there, too. 

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Charlize]

It sounds like a great time for both trans folks, families and now allies.  Glad you got lots of water.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize