The Massachusetts Transgender Political
Coalition (MTPC) and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD) have joined forces to raise awareness about the transgender
community's diversity.
A trailer for the video series I
AM: Trans People Speak features Laverne Cox, whose movie
Musical
Chairs opens in select cities on Friday; Isis King, the first
transgender woman to compete on America's Next Top Model; Noah
Lewis, a lawyer; and Kit Yan, a performance poet. (The video is
embedded in the right panel of this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
According to a press release, the
campaign “aims to spotlight the stories of transgender Americans
and their allies in an effort to educate the public about the
transgender community. The campaign will also seek to empower and
encourage transgender youth and adults by sharing stories of people
who have faced similar issues.”
“The stories of transgender Americans
remain relatively invisible in both national and LGBT media,” said
GLAAD's 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 brothers and sisters continue to face in
schools, the workplace and in their own neighborhoods.”