In 2014 (two years ago today) I posted this.  (Obviously I was still in my e.e. cummings mode.)  We’ve come a long way, but there’s still room to move forward.  We hope 2017 will be, if nothing else, a safe, secure, peaceful year for all of us.
“i try to avoid long posts, but i just wanted to put this out there.
today is my friend E’s final day of work. long story short, due to transphobia and intolerance in her family (DIL is a so-called teacher in the school system where she works, and made up false accusations against E.), she was forced to resign from a job she liked and had hoped to retire from later on.
there is very little diversity or tolerance here in ohio. being trans is something you’re born with, not something you choose or wish on anyone, but many people refuse to become informed or to educate others. young trans kids are starting to enter this system, and won’t have much prospect of being understood or accepted. E. loves kids (she was denied access to her gkids for the same reason, being trans, which broke her heart), and could have been a good mentor and role model for lgbt kids entering the system. instead, people got all hysterical and rabble-roused a witch hunt.
this is a hard day for E. she also had many friends and colleagues who respected her, and had hopes for recovering financially from the damage done by a dysfunctional ex. now she has to struggle to start over again. we help and support each other, but sometimes she gets very discouraged. she endured poverty and abuse all her life, but worked very hard to support a family that rejected her, and this was like a final blow.
in some ways the timing works out even better than we could have planned for moving on to a new life. we will be fine, and look forward to it. but today is still a sad reminder of the ties she was forced out of and must leave behind. she sometimes feels abandoned by everyone and everything. fortunately for her and me, she didn’t commit suicide before i came along, as so many do. if you’ve ever felt like that, and i know some of you have, please think of E. today, and send out a kind thought. thanks. she didn’t know i was going to post this, and hope she forgives me!”

Happy New Year.