Erica Keppler, co-founder of Arizona TransAlliance, proudly held up a striped flag at Transgender Speak Out in the A.E. England building on the Downtown campus Monday.
Each side of the flag had a blue stripe, followed by a pink stripe and a white strip in the center.
“Blue represents male, pink represents female and white represents everything in between,” Keppler said.
Keppler said the design was chosen because there is no right or wrong way to turn it. The spirit of inclusivity at the event helped to kickoff Transgender Awareness Week. The week is celebrated nationwide and ASU’s portion is sponsored by ASU LGBTQA Services, said computer information systems undergraduate Milo Neild.
“Since there is a raised awareness at this point in time it’s a good time to bring people together and really give information and get visibility,” Neild said.
Each group spoke about a specific issue they hoped to target within the transgender community. Significant Others, Family, Friends, Allies of Arizona Transmasculine Society focused on the “co-journey” significant others and family members should take if someone close to them is transgender or is transitioning.
Another group, This is H.O.W. (Honesty, Open-minded, Willingness), focused on raising awareness about transgender community issues. Antonia D’orsay, executive director of This is H.O.W., said crisis problems like homelessness faced by the transgender community are incredibly important.
D’orsay herself was homeless during her first years of transitioning because her residence did not want her there.
“They said, ‘Well, we no longer want your kind living here in Phoenix,’” D’orsay said.
Finding a place to live is among the many issues that some transgender people face in the Phoenix area. Like D’orsay, Neild went through a similar situation when he transitioned.
During his transition, he dropped out of high school and left home, sleeping wherever he could find an available couch. Dealing with some of the issues he had faced is the reason why he said Transgender Speak Out is important to have within the community.
“(Knowledge of resources is important) not just for the transgender community but the Phoenix community as a whole,” Neild said.
Reach the reporter at shurst@asu.edu
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