Owning Our History: Why the Trans Community Cannot Afford Generational Divides

I am a trans elder.

There, I said it.

For perhaps the first time in my life, I am fully embracing and owning that fact.

Initially, I struggled to write a message of hope for Pride Month this year. It is hard to find the right words when we are constantly inundated with hateful misinformation and disinformation from those who seek nothing less than the total eradication of the transgender community.

There is an active, coordinated effort to completely erase our existence from the history of the United States and the world.

Living on the tip of the culture war spear is exhausting, and, I might add, something we never asked for (but I digress). So, finding hope in the current landscape can feel nearly impossible. Our community is embattled at every level of government and in every corner of society—not just here in the U.S., but across the globe.

So, where do we find the hope?

I recently caught up with my dear friend and trans icon, Jamison Green, PhD . As we chatted about our lives, our loved ones, and how we are holding up in today’s hostile environment, our conversation turned to legacy. We talked about how we, as elders, are being seen and heard by the younger generations of trans men and trans women.

While most of our interactions have been deeply positive, James shared a troubling trend. A small minority of the younger generation seems to have little to no regard for hearing our stories of becoming our true selves. The dismissals usually sound something like this:

● “You’re irrelevant.”

“That was so long ago, things have changed.”

● “That just doesn’t apply to me and my generation.”

With everything happening to our community right now, there is simply no room for that brand of dismissiveness.

The Connective Tissue Across Generations

I fully recognize that our specific circumstances are different. The world was a completely different place when I came out in 2004, just as it was a different place when James came out in 1988. But different circumstances do not make histories irrelevant.

As James beautifully put it: “Our history is now more important than ever.” Another close friend once reminded me: “We are our history.” We cannot afford to lose sight of that.

If we want to find hope this Pride and beyond, the times call on us, as trans and queer people, to focus entirely on what we have in common. We share powerful, universal experiences that transcend time:

● The Moment of Truth: That profound second where we said to ourselves—and to anyone who could hear us—”This IS who I am. I am no longer going to hide my authentic self from the world.”

Or, as Anai Nin so eloquently put it, “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

● The Daily Practice: The universal notion of “living into yourself” each and every day – in ways that no one else can see.

● The Shared Core: The resilience and fortitude we develop as we walk this path.

This resilience is the connective tissue that spans generations. It is what binds us together as ONE community at a time when unity is our best defense.

The Road Ahead: Buckle Up

We need this unity immediately. The mid-term elections are a mere five months away. Do you think for a second that the despicable rhetoric surrounding the transgender community is going to lessen?

To that, I say: “Buckle up. You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

True hope requires us to create space to learn from one another. Elders must listen to the unique challenges of today’s youth, and the youth must anchor themselves in the roots of those who cleared the path.

This June, let’s reject the generational divide. Let’s protect our collective narrative, honor our survivors, and remember that our visibility is our power.

We. Are. Our. History.

Let’s own it, let’s protect it, write the next chapter of it, and march forward—together.

Happy Pride Everyone!!!