Family, Gender & Sewing: Livestream Event

Even before my new Janome M7 was headed to me in the mail, I knew that this machine would be non-binary, which created the perfect opportunity to bring up the topic on gender-noncomformity with all of you. And then I asked for suggestions for their name, which was an enlightening exchange that made it clear this would be best addressed in a conversation. So if you’re free December 8th @ 5:00 pm Pacific Time, come chat with me over on Youtube. And if you’re not available, the video will remain on my Youtube for you to watch later.

As excerpted from the National Center for Transgender Equality website:

Most people – including most transgender people – are either male or female. But some people don’t neatly fit into the categories of “man” or “woman,” or “male” or “female.” For example, some people have a gender that blends elements of being a man or a woman, or a gender that is different than either male or female. Some people don’t identify with any gender. Some people’s gender changes over time.

People whose gender is not male or female use many different terms to describe themselves, with non-binary being one of the most common. Other terms include genderqueer, agender, bigender, and more. None of these terms mean exactly the same thing – but all speak to an experience of gender that is not simply male or female.

https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-non-binary-people-how-to-be-respectful-and-supportive

Taken from the 2018 LGBTQ Youth Report from the Human Rights Campaign:

Seventy-seven percent of LGBTQ teenagers surveyed report feeling depressed or down over the past week;

Ninety-five percent of LGBTQ youth report trouble sleeping at night;

LGBTQ youth of color and transgender teenagers experience unique challenges and elevated stress — only 11 percent of youth of color surveyed believe their racial or ethnic group is regarded positively in the U.S., and over 50 percent of trans and gender expansive youth said they can never use school restrooms that align with their gender identity;

More than 70 percent report feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness in the past week;

Only 26 percent say they always feel safe in their school classrooms — and just five percent say all of their teachers and school staff are supportive of LGBTQ people;

Sixty-seven percent report that they’ve heard family members make negative comments about LGBTQ people.

https://www.hrc.org/resources/youth-report

I will continue adding resources and information to this blog post. Feel free to ask any questions or list any resources in the comments. As always, thanks for being along my journey and I look forward to chatting with y’all about this super important topic.