This is "Trans Awareness Month". Facebook says it is, so I guess it must be true. By "Trans" I take it to mean transgender or transsexual, or transnormative . . .I'm in there somewhere. I, for one, am certainly aware of my being trans. I'm aware of losing my partner of twenty years because I'm trans. (yeah, that "I love the person inside you" is bullshit, at least in my life) I'm aware of losing my home, jobs, friends and extended family because I am trans. I'm aware of being very alone because I am trans. I'm aware of wanting to die because I am trans. I've got the awareness thing down. I'm aware every minute of every day of that fact and all they? we? whothefuck? are asking the cis world is that you be aware that we exist for one month. Be aware that most of us are not celebrities with surgically enhanced bodies which is the only version of us you will see in the media, unless we've murdered someone or have been murdered which is more likely. You seem to like us when we've been murdered. It makes the headlines once in awhile. Of course you will mis-gender us in print and call us "men disguised as women" or vise-versa. You will seldom use our real names or real identities (the ones we know ourselves to be)and go for the hate value of whatever shit tabloid you write for. One month of accepting that we are real, human, as valuable as anyone else. A one month "cease-fire" would be nice, too. C'mon, is that too much to ask? We're not asking for a holiday or anything . . . . just one month to not be afraid to walk in public, eat at a restaurant without being stared at, shop in a store without being asked to leave because we make the regular customers uncomfortable . . . we are regular customers, you twats. (Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself, the profane ranting comes later.) Other trans people I know are being quite positive about this whole thing, posting "I Support Trans Awareness" and such. I just don't see it that way. Vanity Fair, Time, media exposure have certainly increased awareness but to what avail? This year which is not ended yet has the highest trans murdered rate to date. Is there a correlation? The majority of the victims this year as in every year are trans women of color. Where is the outrage over that? Is it racism mixed with transphobia or is there a socioeconomic aspect to consider? How about more awareness of these facts and less awareness of breast augmentations. Still waiting for the profanity part? Go fuck yourself!