Time 4 Trans Justice

For all people, regardless of whether you celebrate this holiday or not, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Since today is Thanksgiving, I thought I would give a brief history of the holiday–the real version, not the watered down, happy ending version. Though people associate this day by giving thanks to the Christian God, it is actually a secular holiday. In fact, the Spaniards celebrated this day in 1598–a bit before the first European settlers had a chance to do so. Here is a statement from Wikipedia about this: “The city of El Paso, Texas claims the first thanksgiving was held in what is now known as the United States, but it was not a harvest celebration. Spaniard Don Juan de Oñate ordered his expedition party to rest and conducted a mass celebration of thanksgiving on April 30, 1598.”

The next historically recorded feast was in 1619 at the Berkeley Hundred, about 20 miles upstream from Jamestown. 38 English settlers had landed there.  The group’s charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a “day of thanksgiving” to God. Soon after they landed there, the Indian Massacre of 1622 killed nine of the settlers at Berkeley Hundred, as well as about a third of the entire population of the Virginia Colony. The Berkeley Hundred site and other outlying locations were abandoned as the colonists withdrew to Jamestown and other more secure points.

The traditional version of the Thanksgiving feast happened in 1622 at the Plymouth Plantation. At the time, this was not regarded as a Thanksgiving observance; harvest festivals were existing parts of English and Wampanoag tradition alike. Interesting, isn’t it? That we have been celebrating a holiday for years thinking it was because of certain ideals, when it was really because of the harvest festivals prevalent at the time. It became a national holiday when President George Washington declared that we, as a nation, should, “acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor”. This is how it got to be associated with religion.

Now, what does this have to do with Transgender Justice? Actually, several things. One, discrimination. Two, agreement. And three, traditions.

Discrimination

Thanksgiving represents discrimination–to our Native American brothers and sisters. The only time that our ancestors actually were civil to them was at the Plymouth plantation. There was no other time in recorded history that they were ever shown any amount of decency. Many misunderstood cultures and “classes” of people are discriminated against, including, but not limited to:

1. Race/Culture/Color–There is no need to explain this one, right?

2. Age–Once a person reaches a certain age, in spite of how healthy they are, they are not allowed to do certain things, get proper insurance, etc. Even today, there are certain places that still do this.

3. Weight/Size–If we don’t fit the media portrayal of the “perfect size” we are discriminated against.

4. Sexual Orientation–Need I even give this one an explanation?

5. Gender Identity–This one gets the most discrimination because of how little is understood about this. (Adrian has a great article you can find here.)

Agreement

If someone in high authority or power says that we need to do something, we will generally do it, won’t we? Think about all the “war on terrorism” speeches.  Many people buy into this–why? Because they will agree with the “reasons” and the person who says it. If someone off the street told you to kill another person, would you do it? Probably not, because they are not in an “authority” to say it.

Another thing…if the government says that Transgender people are not worthy of discrimination protections, who do you think is going to agree with them, huh? Most of the people who do not understand that this is not in our heads, but a part of who we are.

Traditions

Traditions are about as long held as discriminations. If it is a tradition to prevent certain people from joining your club, then it is going to stay that way. No one wants to mess with traditions! I will talk more about this another time, as my time is about running out today. But…traditions = discrimination.

Today, while you are eating your great feast, remember this…Thanksgiving isn’t about the values you think it is about. It has its origins in discrimination and war. And while it is great to be with family, and/or friends, take time to think about your attitudes towards others who aren’t up to your “standards”, and how you treat them, as it is discrimination–something I am working very hard to fight against.