I'm sorry. I didn't know. (Transgender Day of Remembrance)

[Written Friday, November 22, following the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center's "Transgender Day of Remembrance" gathering] 

I'm just in from spending the evening at the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center with a wonderfully eclectic group of LGBTQQA folks. (Wish I had counted how many were there; was so happy that chairs had to be added more than a few times!) The event was wonderful, and it was hard -- wonderful meeting so many interesting, kind, good people; hard hearing of so much sadness, pain, and isolation, and hard (heartbreaking) hearing too many names of transgender people who've died -- were killed -- this year simply for being who they are.

We should be united in our shame and grief that such an annual observance even exists! We should celebrate living members of the community when, sadly, remembrance and memorial moments are still all too necessary. News accounts of abused and murdered transgender men and women don't seem to let up!

But that's not the worst of it for me -- what brought out the tears for me was that so many of those who died didn't even have a name -- unidentified, unknown, anonymous. How in the world in 2013 can someone die without a name? How lonely is that kind of loneliness. How painful must these nameless treasures' lives have been to end like that?

Where does this kind of hate and cruelty come from? What could I have done? What can I do now?

I feel badly that it's only now that I even know about this annual observance. But now that I do know, I have a sacred responsibility to do something with this knowledge! To do what I can to build an environment where men and women --whoever and whatever they are! -- can live in loving harmony -- not tolerating one another, but treasuring each other's beautiful uniquenesses. It should not be so hard -- and certainly not so dangerous! -- for people to be who they are!

But how moving to hear so many at the gathering declare -- as each memorial candle was lit by Barbara -- what they determined to do for the cause. As you would expect, a powerful mix of heart determination!

I thank God for the immense privilege of meeting men and women whose lives are marked by too much pain. It redoubles in me a powerful determination to do my part to bring about right where painful, overwhelming, tragic wrong exists! It takes just a few minutes, a few moments eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart to know that love and grace have work yet to be done -- through you and me!

Here's my heart and life -- ready to be proved worthy of the cause. There's plenty I/we can do between now and next year's remembrance...xoxo