Dear Ally, your silence is louder than you think

An open letter to the friend who cares but stays quiet

You believe trans people deserve respect and dignity. So why are you so quiet about it?

You care. I know you do.

If you are reading this, you probably consider yourself a good person. You believe in fairness and equality. You think trans people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. You might even have trans friends, or family members, or colleagues. You care. I know you do.

So this letter is not going to be comfortable, because I need to ask you something. Where are you? When the conversation turns to trans rights at a dinner party, do you speak up or do you change the subject? When someone shares something hateful on social media, do you challenge it or scroll past? When a policy is being debated that will directly affect the lives of trans people, do you make your voice heard?

The cost of your silence