Old Man’s Corner
As y'all know, I had major surgery at the end of January. When we got to the hospital and they took me back to get ready, the nurse mistakenly misgendered me and my wife corrected her. The nurse sincerely apologized and made sure the rest of my surgery team knew my pronouns and my preferred name. Now this info is and has been in my chart for years but sometimes it doesn't come up for some reason with new doctor’s offices. My experience at the hospital turned out to be great. I had a great team and the nurses on my floor were amazing. I was affirmed in every way my entire time there.
This got me thinking… in how many other places in this country that this same thing is happening and in how many of those situations it did not go the way my experience did. How many instances do my siblings not only stress about having surgery but also have to worry about what would happen being taken care of by people who don't value them? We, who are able, hopefully, have been mobilizing to make our network stronger and figuring out how we're going to get our community what they need.
I know that we are mad and scared and all those other heavy things, but on the flip side of that we are resilient, creative, and powerful beyond measure. We must remember that if we were not these things no one would be concerned with trying to erase us. Hate is grown from ignorance and fear. We will meet it with courage and determination. How do we do that we ask? Those of us that can: stand, protest, call our elected officials and voice our concerns. For those of us who can’t be front and center, there is still a job for you. There were plenty of people during the Civil Rights Movement who had a great impact that weren't front and center. Collect food, water, funds for protest efforts, provide safe space for meetings, participate in boycotts, don't purchase from those places and if you're able to give supplies to people in areas that would have no other options but to purchase from those stores.
Let's talk about safety…if you don't have a safety plan, you need to get one. We need self defense and proper weapons training. We're going have to create that for our community. If you are going out to the club or events, use the buddy system, be aware of your surroundings and the exits. The only way to the other side of this is together. Do an old man a favor and take care of yourself and others.