Choosing Life
Like far too many people in the transgender community suicide ideation has been a fairly constant companion in my life. In this clip, Episode 26.82 - The Birth of a Pheonix from Dr. Diana Sorrentino (Dr. D), Ph.D.' s Paradoxes of Gender podcast, I share the "why" suicide ideation is so prevalent in the transgender community.
It is not the reason that the cowardly trolls, lurking in the shadows, would like for people to believe that it is. There is a segment of the transgender community that actually has lower suicide ideation rates than the national average. That fact highlights that suicide ideation is not inherent for transgender community.
It is clear that transgender youth are not leaving this life, in alarming rates, merely because they were born transgender. Keep in mind that almost every statistic related to the transgender community is understated. That fact is driven by the societal stigma of being transgender.
Many who are born transgender leave this life with no one knowing that they were. Their deaths whether by homicide or suicide are not attributed to being a member of the transgender community. It is fairly certain that the percent of people who are transgender is highly understated. I know that had I died, before transitioning to authenticity, I would have never been counted as a transgender person in anything.
In 2024, approximately a year and a half into my transition, my suicide ideation reached its apex. The bottom of an abyss is probably a better description because I was anything but on top. I felt trapped in a very toxic work environment and each day of my life was worse than the day before. I could not conceive that life would ever be worth living again.
My climb out of that abyss is what led me to write My Life in Transition - Becoming a Phoenix. Once out of the abyss I developed a passion for helping the transgender community choose life like I did. Part of that is being vocal about the unjust legislation, and rhetoric based on lies and misrepresentation.
It is my sincere desire that when I do leave this life, I leave a world that is kinder, gentler and more understanding than the one that I had to navigate. Although I wrote my story with the transgender community in mind, I hope that everyone facing their own abyss would push through and come to realize, just like I did, that life is worth living.
Every day I am thankful that I chose life!
afrose.net - Advocacy in Action
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