Americans tell their stories for Transgender Awareness Week

in: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/trans-americans-tell-their-stories-transgender-awareness-week151112



Video campaign hopes to raise awareness of transgender issues in the US






A video campaign featuring prominent trans Americans has been launched to mark Transgender Awareness Week.

The 'I AM: Trans People Speak' videos feature New York Times bestseller Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan and actress Laverne Cox telling their own personal stories.

Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) attorney Noah Lewis and performance poet Kit Yan also share their experiences to camera in the campaign which aims to put transgender issues in the spotlight to educate the public and speak to trans youth and adults.

The videos' release by LGBT rights group GLAAD and the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition coincides with Transgender Awareness Week.

The US campaign, which started 12 November and runs until 19 November, hopes to raise visibility and awareness of transgender people and issues.

'The stories of everyday transgender Americans remain relatively unheard in both national and LGBT media,' said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick.

'These stories will not only empower members of the transgender community who rarely see relatable stories, but also educate Americans everywhere about the fact that the community is a valuable part of the fabric of our culture.

'The campaign will also shine a light on the high level of discrimination that our transgender friends, family and neighbors continue to face in schools, the workplace and in their own communities.'

Transgender Awareness Week culminates with the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on 20 November, honoring the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

Keep up with Transgender Awareness Week on Twitter by following hashtag #TAW12. Follow the Transgender Day of Remembrance on Twitter with hashtag #TDoR

Watch a selection of the videos below:

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/trans-americans-tell-their-stories-transgender-awareness-week151112