Stories & Prompts From Trans Day of Visibility
THIS IS PART OF APRIL’S “OUR PUBLIC MEMORY” PIES SPIRITUAL PRACTICE ON SHARING OUR STORIES. IF YOU MISSED THIS NEWSLETTER, READ IT HERE.
Our Trans Day of Visibility celebration was a time of story sharing, joy and music. We asked participants to share their reflections afterwards and how this event contributed to their grounding and regrowth and here is what they had to say.
"Primarily, I felt seen, heard and appreciated." - Reginald Brown
"So many feelings from the TDOV celebration. Grief and admiration and reverence in sharing space with elders. Joy in letting loose and being silly with both the love of my life and complete strangers. I don't think I've let myself be that goofy in a while!
I don't know that I have a singular word for what I felt grounded in after the event, but then again I don't have a singular word to describe my trans identity." - Jess Sharpton
“It felt renewing to be in a space where trans visibility was the goal and not a sidebar. It felt grounding to have Black trans folx at the core of that space. It was so lovely to hear stories and then just dance for what I initially thought would be an awkwardly long time but actually was just right!” - Karl Miller
"It was the energetic refresh that I needed that day. I feel like I went on a cookout with family - just nothing but pure energy and good vibes and all love!" - Nat Richmond
“I caught this energy. The more visible I am, the more I think other people don't feel alone. And I don't mind being visible.” - Felicia Scalzetti
PH creates spaces where our core constituents can feel safe, seen and heard. That was our primary aim with Trans Day of Visibility. When we feel safe, seen and heard, we can ground ourselves better and feel and see ourselves. AND it works in reverse. Grounding ourselves provides pathways for achieving safety and visibility, even among people who don't quite understand us.
April Story Sharing Prompts
This month's story-sharing prompts are:
How do you ground yourself?
How do you clarify what you want and need?
How do you navigate your wants and needs with others?
If you feel daunted by these questions, we understand. This is the methodology that we learned from Dr. Warren in clearing conversations -- ask clear and honest questions of yourself; give clear honest answers TO yourself and you will gain a deeper clarity ABOUT yourself.
Don't know how you ground yourself? That's an honest answer. Ask yourself, 'what does groundedness FEEL like for me?' 'what situations, experiences, locations, etc. give me THAT feeling?' 'how do I want to incorporate those things in my life now?'"
Share your reflection experiences with us on our Facebook group!