Today marks the Summer Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere and is the day for which we have the most sunlight, officially starting the Summer season. This is a time for which I strongly encourage everyone to be mindful of what the build up to this point of the year has felt like and that we should be aware of the relative return to Autumn that is now 3 months away. During this period of Summer sun and ideally gentle weather it is often a good idea to focus on productive projects, social gatherings and opportunities, and cultivation of positive energy/experiences.
Activities that are recommended for this time involve outdoor exercise, gardening, meditating while in sunshine, addressing projects that are in-process, and engaging in activities of rest upon establishing a sense of achievement. Strong focus during Summer should be on addressing what is needed and what has been lacking in the year thus far.
This year specifically has been a challenge for the transgender community as they face an unprecedented number of official efforts to make their existence illegal; whether it be in using a public bathroom, providing community service/engagement/education, or presenting in public as a form of basic representation, officials in a wide variety of spaces are pushing a cultural agenda of transphobia based on fear.
The fear of the unknown and the fear that one’s viewpoint of the world is not correct for everyone is a very difficult fear to address and requires education and vulnerability. This ask is rather hard for a majority of those pushing for laws that limit the expression of transgender individuals, but it is a vital ask. It is an ask for which all of us must push for; consideration that all aspects of life, including biological sex and social gender norms are in fact part of a spectrum of life, not a binary and mutually exclusive system. For the same reason that people are not only gay or straight, but also bisexual and pansexual, it is important to consider that there are more than two ways to live one’s life.
Diversity is the spice to life and vital to any species success to survive in a changing world. Monocultural tones and goals are cornerstones to Fascism and should be meet with heavy criticism least we succumb to repeating the mistakes of history. These United States of America were built on the principles of salvation from discrimination, freedom of religion, and the pursuit of happiness; but many times these principles are misunderstood to mean “Christians First” and “White Superior” as acceptable standards for our lives. We must fight racism and the development of a Theocracy at all levels in order to protect our most vulnerable and in order to ensure our basic freedoms to practice whatever faith we wish and provide a safe space for peoples of all heritages, no exceptions.
Representation matters. As the month of June comes to a close and Pride celebrations cease remember that queer people and queer expressionist art still exists, needs our support, and is a vital component to keeping our children alive and filled with hope that their future can be as bright as the MidSummer Sun!
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