Recognize each other’s right to exist

March 31 was Transgender Day of Visibility From my heart, in writing this column, I hope to save a life.

There is so much to share about people who identify as transgender. I would love to share stories of their humor, their resilience, sense of life and brilliance. Instead I must share with you that they are all in danger.

Transgender is a word that many of us over the age of 20 years old may not have heard about when we were younger. Some words that exist with transgender are: gender fluid, transsexual, gender identity, intersex, gender non-conforming and gender spectrum. The first time I heard the word transsexual, I was in my 30s. Eventually I met transgender individuals who have become good friends.

The exact number of transgender people cannot be known for sure because these individuals do not feel safe to disclose their status. Estimates range from 1 in 1,000 people to 5 people in 100.

Day after day, I am horrified to hear about the violence and murder reported against transgender individuals. The risk of violence including murder is staggeringly high. Consider a full game at Kinnick Stadium (70,000 people). Between, 70 to 3,500 attendees might be transgender. Of those, 34 to 1,715 will have been violently assaulted or murdered. In the rest of the stadium, only 210 people would have been assaulted or murdered, according to FBI crime statistics.

It is OK if you do not understand what it means to be transgender, but we all must respect each other's right to exist.

People who identify as transgender are expressing something from their innermost self. This is not a choice. It is simply who they are. It is extremely difficult for transgender people to tell the rest of us and feel safe. Find out more information from the Human Rights Campaign: www.hrc.org. For local support, go to www.pflagcr.com.

' Diane Peterson has Masters degrees in Biochemistry and Medical Informatics with an emphasis on Public Health. She is chair of PFLAG Cedar Rapids. Comments: pflaglcb@gmail.com