Recently, the media has been spotlighting women who are coming out with their sexual assault stories via the #MeToo hashtag on social media.

Hundreds of celebrities including Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lawrence, and Gabby Douglas have come out publicly and on social media sharing their stories and their support for the #MeToo movement. It has been the highlight of my Twitter feed as of late, and rightfully so.

The #MeToo movement emphasizes women’s sexual harassment and abuse experiences, creating a worldwide support system for girls everywhere, and hopefully creating a real change in the way women are treated in the work industry, and our everyday lives.  Although, one thing I have yet to see really publicized is sexual harassment towards genderqueer* women, and specifically, transgender women.

As shown in a recent report conducted by the NCAVP (National Coalition Of Anti-Violence Programs), transgender* women are over three times more likely to encounter sexual harassment and abuse than cisgender* women. And these are just the numbers of cases reported to the NCAVP, thousands of harassment cases are never reported or dealt with, as shown by the stories of the #MeToo movement.

I personally have many openly transgender people in my life, and I get approached with inappropriate comments and questions about them so often that it makes me worried for what my LGBTQ+ loved ones have to deal with on a daily basis. I used to get angry when people asked me insensitive questions, but I realized people ask questions because they don’t have the means to become educated.

Because issues like this are not advertised, people are forced to assume the answers to questions they have. This creates widespread ignorance, which leads to discrimination. I live in one of the most diverse areas in America, and I still witness harassment via personal questions and comments, every day.

Being a woman in today’s society alone is difficult, but think about what it’s like to be a self made woman. Someone who had to go against everything they were raised to be, someone who has had to fight the system to gain equality and respect from her own people. Lack of education not only hinders trans women from being a positive part of society, but it is actively fighting for them to be erased from the public’s eye.

Education starts with awareness, and awareness drastically increases with representation. Standing up for women, should be standing up for ALL women, no just the cisgender celebrities being publicized.  I encourage you to think about the people close to you who might not have the support to come out about harassment. Talk to them, let them know that they are safe with you, and make an effort to educate yourself (Google is great for that type of thing).

Issues like this don’t get solved by Congress, they start with the common person. They start with smaller efforts that contribute to a greater change. And I believe this change is long overdue, for all women because ALL women need this support.

* Genderqueer- denoting or relating to a person who does not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions but identifies with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders.

* Transgender- denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex.

* Cisgender- denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex.