Kappa Beta Serving the transgendered community since 1988

There is a book very simply titled Night, by Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel. He chronicles the horrors of a young teen whose family is suddenly snatched from their home, the family separated and moved from death camp to death camp.

It is the story of survival in the midst of madness. It is also the story of a young man who's spark of hope continued to glimmer while the world, as he knew it, crumbled around him.

It is a story we have heard many times, but perhaps never really pondered the ramifications. Woven in the threads of the experience are life's lessons for the world, and each of us.

The mother and sister were separated from father and brother the day they were taken from their home. Somehow, father and son managed to stay together, even through a period of "selections."

As the days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, Elie Wiesel was pained to see a close friend betray his father in order to ensure his own survival. He made a vow to himself to never regress to this state. As the war was nearing it's end, the SS moved the entire camp on a forced march to the final destination, Buchenwald.

Struggling through the snow in a bitter cold night, the young man could see his own bloody footprints with each step. Those who would slow down, or fall would be shot on sight.

It was during this forced march that the young man's father began to stumble. He was barely able to speak audibly the words that he couldn't go on. The young teen suddenly found himself with the fleeting thought that his father was a hindrance, an obstacle to his own survival. Thus, he came to the realization he may become that which he feared most, totally focused on "self" to the exclusion of all he cherished. Father and son did go on and survived.

The lessons for ensuing generations become clear, both for nations and individuals. To those of us who are also concerned with the transgender community, it occurs that we can allow our own lives to become focused on "self" to the exclusion of others. We speak of acceptance and tolerance, but can allow our own innate prejudices to show anything but tolerance towards those who are not quite the same as we, or whom we perceive as somehow detrimental to our personal goals.

It is a hurting world out there, including outside the "community," and it needs all the nurturing any of us are able to give it. One of the absolutes of life is that in encouraging others, we are encouraged. By providing empathy to others, our lives become about more than "self."

The story is also a lesson in hope. From the midst of madness, came good. Through his outreach, Elie Wiesel has left a legacy that will continue to empower generations yet to come.

Speaking in terms of the transgender community again, there is a myriad of support groups and outreach efforts today that were begun many years ago by courageous people who had the courage to stand up for what they knew to be right. These efforts began in a time when it was not safe to proclaim that it really is okay to be who a person is, no matter who a person is.

Thus, as with the story of Elie Wiesel, but on a smaller scale, from something difficult can come a legacy which is positive and uplifting, and continues today.

As with so many worthwhile efforts in life, and the TG community, we stand upon the shoulders of those who have gone before us. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could live our lives in such a way that our shoulders provide a sufficiently strong foundation upon which others may some day stand?