Harry Benjamin Ressurssenter

2 dager siden

Skal man defineres selv etter sin død?

I disse dager markeres Transgender Day of Remembrance, en dag der man hedrer de som har blitt drept på grunn av sitt kjønnsuttrykk eller kjønnsidentitet. Markeringen startet i 1999, etter at Rita Hester ble drept i 1998. Dagen er for å minne og ære de personene som har mistet livet fordi de de står fram som seg selv. Harry Benjamin ressurssenter mener at dette er en viktig markering og et tema som trenger eksponering. Samtidig har vi opplevd det vanskelig å markere dagen skikkelig. Grunnlaget for dette er at vi opplever at dagen definerer og setter folk i bås selv etter sin død. Hvor mange av de som har blitt drept har hatt en trans* identitet? Kan man være sikker på at personen identifiserte seg som trans og brukte det begrepet om seg selv? Eller kan man risikere å definere noen selv etter sin død!

Vi vet at det er mange som ikke bruker trans*, transperson, transkjønnet, transgenderd om seg selv. Og vi vet at mange føler at disse begrepene tar fra de den identiteten de har kjempet så hardt for å få respekt for. Hva om en av disse er de som har blitt inkludert i denne dagen, nettopp som trans*. Hvilken rett har vi å definere disse personene! HBRS skulle ønske at man kunne bruke et mer begrepsnøytralt ord for å feire dagen. Dette med språk og begreper er ikke lett, og det skal ikke gjøres så enkelt at folk mister sin identitet. For oss så er det bedre at det er langt og inkluderende, enn kort og ekskluderende.

HBRS vet at mange mener at det å terpe på begreper er flisespikkere. Men det er faktisk språket som er med på å forme samfunnet. Ord or uttrykk er ikke bare flisespikkeri. Det former hvordan vi blir sett og hvordan vi blir møtt.

Harry Benjamin ressurssenter kommer til å markere denne dagen, men vi vil ha et inkluderende navn. Et som favner også de som ikke definerer seg som trans*. I den anledning så har vi sett til FN og deres dag minnedag: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Og vi vil markere Minnedag for de som har blitt drept grunnet sitt kjønnsuttrykk eller kjønnsidentitet

www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday/

Transgender Day of Remembrance is just around the corner. It is a day where we honors those who have been killed because of their gender expression or gender identity. The memorial day began in 1999, after Rita Hester was murdered in 1998. On the 20th of November we remember and honor those people who have lost their lives because of who they are. Harry Benjamin Resource Centre feels that this is an important day to raise awareness to a topic that needs exposure. We have in the past found it difficult to mark the day properly. The reason for this, is that we feel that the name of the day in many ways defines and categorize people in ways that they not necessarily identified with, even after their death. How many of those who have been killed had a Trans * identity? Can one be sure that the person identified as Trans and used the terms to describe who they were? Or could it be that Trans * person/transgender was a term they did not identified as?

We know that there are many out there who do not use trans *, transpeople , transman, transwoman or transgenderd about themselves . And we know that many feel that the use of these Trans* terms diminish and does not respect the struggle they have had to endure to gain respect for their gender identity. These terms say nothing about what gender you are and nothing about the process and struggles the person has gone through. What if some of those who have been murdered, did not identified as trans* have been included in that day, as trans * . What right do have to define these people! HBRS wish that one could use a more neutral term to celebrate the day. language and terms are is not easy, and must never be simplified to make a good logo, or a fancy name. In doing so, we may riske that the right to self-identification is taken away. We feel that it is better that the name of the day is long and inclusive, rather than short and an excluding.

HBRS knows that many feel that when we keep on repeating the importance of inclusive terms it is nitpicking. But we know that words are extremely important, language is what shapes much of people perception of other people and society. We must never underestimate the power of language. If one say the he/she IS transsexual, transgender, Trans* very quickly that is what that person is perceived as. Not as male or female.

Harry Benjamin Resource Centre will mark this day, but we will use what we feel is an inclusive name, one that embraces also those who do not define themselves as Trans *. We believe that the most important thing is that the name is inclusive, not short, easy and excluding. So we are going to remember our dead in a Memorial Day, in remembrance for those who have been killed because of their gender expression or gender identity. ... Se merSe mindre