“I hope something good happens to you today”
Proclaimed the bumper sticker
To anyone and
Everyone the car passed,
No matter their past,
No matter their actions
No matter their intentions.
"That makes me smile,"
says a mom in a trailing car.
Her son, not feelin' it,
Not smilin' a bit,
Responds,
“I'm more of a ‘you can have the day you deserve'
Kind of person.”
A bit taken aback,
The mom replies,
"That's not very UU -- of -- you."
"Mom," says the son,
"Some want me fled,
Others to bleed red,
Or worse, end up dead.
Just for being who -- I -- am.
They can have the day they deserve.”
For those spreading misinformation while
Downplaying variation and
Cosplaying ignorance as science.
For those claiming sex = gender = binary,
Hiding the nuance
While creating discordance.
For those just asking questions,
Have the day you deserve.
For those so concerned
With where people urinate,
That they must legislate
Which private parts go with
Which restroom or locker room,
Have the day you deserve.
For those legally defining
And making it binding,
That sex = gender =
One's sex assigned at birth,
Barring the transgender
From changing their gender...
On legal docs,
From being recognized
Legally for who they are,
Have the day you deserve.
For those banning trans-girls
From playing sports with other girls,
Pitting women
Against trans-women,
Creating real problems to
Solve fictitious problems
Already accounted for
By existing athletic orgs.
For those blaming trans inclusion
For teen girl suicide ideation,
Have the day you deserve.
For those spreading lies
And trying to criminalize
Gender affirming care
Using gross, ignorant, and
Inflammatory language like
"Child mutilation,"
Maligning the reputation
And risking dangerous confrontation
For health care providers
And parents,
Have the day you deserve.
For those creating anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation
with a vague interpretation
And a lack of clarity around enforcement,
Further adding to the uncertainty
And fear within the queer community,
Have the day you deserve.
For those stealing Pride flags
From people's front porches,
Or vandalizing
With anti-trans graffiti,
Violating one's sense of safety
Tied to one's community,
And one's home,
Making one feel alone,
Have the day you deserve.
For those hoping that
Public Pride parade participants are
Plagued by nagging fears of
High velocity metal,
Tumbling and tearing
Through flesh and bone,
Fueled by bigoted legislation
And the fabrications
Tumbling out of the mouths of
Pundits and politicians,
Facilitated by insanely lax gun control laws,
Have the day you deserve.
For those who have set their sights
On voting to take away the rights
Of friends and family
Whom they proclaim to love,
Have the day you deserve.
For those whose actions result in
Fear of public restrooms,
Leading to discomfort,
Poor concentration,
Chronic dehydration,
Urinary tract, bladder, and
Kidney infections,
Have the day you deserve.
For those whose actions result in
Decisions to de-transition
By trans folk fearful of
Discrimination, harassment,
Loss of employment,
Or physical harm,
Have the day you deserve.
For those who do all of this,
Knowing it forces people,
Intending it to coerce people,
From their communities to elsewhere,
Knowing it increases the despair
And suicides of trans-youth,
Have the day you deserve.
“I hope something good happens to you today”
Proclaimed the bumper sticker
To anyone and
Everyone the car passed,
Implying worthiness is amassed
By simply being human.
I know that
Dispelling hate, fear, and ignorance requires
Conversations,
Connections,
And building trust.
It requires empathy and
Compassion, while also
Holding people accountable
For their actions.
And operating from the perspective
That everyone in the collective
Has inherent worth and dignity.
Pettiness and lashing out,
Without considering the fallout
Without strategically resisting
May be counterproductive,
If not destructive.
I know this
I know it's true
I know it to be true
But at my lower points,
At my angrier points,
At my fearful points (for those I love),
I'm not feelin' it.
In the face of so much
Needless transphobia,
Pointless homophobia,
Self-righteous gleeful bigotry,
And willfully ignorant trickery,
My heart sometimes defaults to...
Have the day you deserve.
Incredible.