TRANS woman and radio personality Michelle Sheppard has stressed the need for people to listen to each other in a speech at the Surf Coast Shire\u2019s IDAHOBIT (the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia) ceremony.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the council chambers in Torquay on May 17, Ms Sheppard said everyone was so worried about difference, and only saw each other on the surface.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sometimes don\u2019t even get the chance, we keep on going because we\u2019re in this fast-paced world, and that\u2019s what bothers me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t sit down and take the time to listen \u2013 we speak and we judge before we listen, and unfortunately, that\u2019s how the situation with the world is at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
In that spirit, she said people that wanted to be allies of the LGBT community should try to be inclusive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more than just gay versus lesbian, or LGBT versus straight, it\u2019s about being an ally for each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo my message about sitting down and listening to each other is not about straights listening to the rest of the rainbow community, it\u2019s about all of us listening to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Sheppard said there was still a long way to go towards full acceptance for transgender women in society.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust because you see marriage equality doesn\u2019t mean things are getting better.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need more than just corporate spaces in employment – we need the local fish and chip shop, we need the local Coles and Safeways and everything like that, we need more representation in those spaces.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to see the average me as the checkout chick checking out your groceries, because the media is representing me as a trans woman as a prostitute, as a drug dealer, dealing drugs and going to prison\u2026 there\u2019s nothing positive in media for a transgender woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cMen see me as a man in a dress, and so do a lot of the women. But at the end of the day, I\u2019m no different \u2013 I\u2019m just a parent, I pay my taxes, I pay my mortgage, I go to work and I just try to get through this crazy mess that the rest of you are doing, and you can\u2019t communicate that to anyone, because nobody wants to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TRANS woman and radio personality Michelle Sheppard has stressed the need for people to listen to each other in a speech at the Surf Coast Shire\u2019s IDAHOBIT (the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia) ceremony. Speaking at the council chambers in Torquay on May 17, Ms Sheppard said everyone was so worried about […]<\/p>\n