Dear friends and family: In the last year, Ive made many changes in my life, and today, I want to share the most important one with you: I am Mya Byrne, a proud transgender woman. My pronouns are she/hers. I am coming out because I am incredibly happy, and I want you all to know my joy in getting to live as I truly am. It is important to me personally to be openly trans. Being closeted is a horrible burden, and I wish it upon no one. I am lucky; I survived, and am embraced by loving, accepting people. But many other trans people still suffer greatly every day in silence and isolation. Homelessness, bias, violence perpetuated upon us -- these real issues of trans lives need to be talked about publicly. This is why I intend to be open about my lived experience. And that said, there is an issue directly affecting me, and thousands like me, that I wish to voice loudly: In many states, including New York, there are laws on the books that deny trans people equal rights and access to necessary healthcare. You read that right: In New York, trans people are discriminated against legally. Even though Obamacare was supposed to guarantee transgender people access to needed medicine, a loophole allowed Albany to retain an old, discriminatory law that specifically denies us health coverage. Low-income trans people in New York cannot access even the most basic health needs, simply because of who we are. It is an injustice. Everyone should have fair and equal access to the wonderful things medicine can do for us -- and New York should be a healthy, supportive place for all trans people to live, thrive and succeed. You can help make this happen by telling Gov. Cuomo that all New Yorkers deserve equal rights! There are two ways you can do this: Sign the repeal petition at bit.ly/transequality, and/or write to him directly at bit.ly/heycuomo. And if you personally know anyone in New Yorks government, get in touch with them ASAP -- the legislative session ends June 19. Your voice counts -- share this information widely! For more on this topic and what you can do to help, please visit srlp.org/healthcare. Beyond this, I look forward to sharing the next phase of my life with you. Since transitioning, both my life and art have blossomed immensely, and I am thrilled to invite you along for what promises to be a very special journey. With love, Mya Adriene Byrne
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 17:02:04 +0000
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