Trans Awareness Week came about because my friend and co-founder, Jessica Pettitt believed that if trans folks only got to be in the spotlight once a year, it wasn't right that the Day of Remembrance gave the world only a tragic view of our lives and struggles, and left no room for celebrating the talent, beauty, and diversity that is the trans and allied community.

When the Arizona Daily Star publicized our events last year, some not-so-supportive readers commented that, essentially, they were plenty aware of trannies and we should just shut the hell up and go back to the psych ward where we belong. Tucson doesn't need transgender awareness!

Awareness is defined by AllWords.com as "the fact or state of being aware, or conscious, especially of matters that are particularly relevant or topical."

I like to think that my life is relevant, don't you? We are, trust me. Our relevance was demonstrated by the unprecedented solidarity shown by more than 360 organizations around the country who formed the United ENDA Coalition to stand up to HRC and to Congress to say that employment protections for queer folks that don't include gender identity are not worth having. Sadly, politics is politics, and despite our relevance, despite circling the wagons, and despite millions of LGBT Americans screaming "ALL OF US OR NONE OF US", my people were once again kicked to the curb.

So, why bother with Trans Awareness Week? Because Trans Awareness Week and events like it everywhere are rich with gifts to humanity. The gift of Awareness is life-changing in a "pay it forward" kind of way. The gift of Awareness comes with a variety of accessories, each of which add to and enhance Awareness in new ways.

With Awareness comes Understanding.

Those of you how have heard my story know that I had no understanding of my own gender identity until I was 36, when a butch dyke like me I'd known for quite some time began transitioning right in front of me. It was the gift of Awareness he gave me that helped me understand myself better.

With Awareness comes Outrage.

When my partner Cyndi and I started dating, the trans world was new to her. When she received the gift of Awareness, she got really pissed. She was outraged by the real-life accounts she heard of the multitude of ways that transgender and queer people are treated even by those whose job it is to protect us. She got so outraged that she developed the public saftey forum at The Loft to establish a respectful dialogue between the LGBT communities and Tucson's police, fire, and public safety personnel, and she already has plans on how to foster that new alliance to ensure it has long-lasting impact.

With Awareness comes Acceptance.

Arthur Schopenhauer wrote that:
 "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

After last year's "Ask A Tranny Anything" panel, a male cross-dresser sent me an email saying that his wife had been struggling to accept his cross-dressing and was going to divorce him. They both attended our panel discussion and he said she finally got it, that she was no longer considering divorce, and she accepted his feminine side as an integral part of his personality.

With Awareness comes Progress.

Most of you know by now that Tucson was one of the first cities in the country to add gender identity to its anti-discrimination protections, but have you heard the story of how that came to be? As I understand it, in 1999, there was an effort to add some new categories to the City ordinance, but gender identity was not on the list. When the late Alexander John Goodrum got wind of this, he went to the meeting to ask why not. When he asked why not, the answer was not "We don't have enough votes" or "We don't think Tucson is ready for that." The answer was, no one thought of it. No one told us we needed to. When Alexander gave them gift of Awareness, our progressive city's leaders saw this as a no-brainer and passed the new ordinance with a unanimous vote. One of the more dubious accessories that comes with Awareness is Responsibility.

Those of us who work at Wingspan, and those who do work in their own communities and companies to educate the public about trans and queer issues can talk to you until we are blue in the face about creating change, but if all you do is sit there and cheer, then go home and talk about what a cool event that was, our words are meaningless. It is your responsibility--regardless of your identity, regardless of your orientation, regardless of your age, your race, your religion, your class, or your ability--to do WHATEVER IT IS in your power to do.

Mahatma Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world."

It doesn't have to be big. It just has to be you. Just show up. Take responsibility for your own life, your own liberty, and your own pursuit of happiness. No one else is going to do it for you.

With Awareness comes Equality.

When every boy who wants to wear a dress to school is safe from bullying..., when every transman has access to quality gynecological care without fear of ridicule..., when every hate crime based on perceived queerness is investigated and prosecuted with diligence, passion, and respect..., when every trans person is able to live and work somewhere other than the streets to survive, and when every person is entitled to equal protection under every law in every state without having to ask why not, we might not need Trans Awareness Week. I'm guessing that won't be next year. So, God willin' and the creek don't rise, I'll be here, and I hope you will be, too.