On Nov. 6 amid the hubbub of Election Day, Denton’s mayor and city council are making their own progressive changes by issuing a mayoral proclamation in support of the local trans community. Taking place at 6:30 p.m. in city hall, Mayor Chris Watts will issue a proclamation celebrating and recognizing the important contributions that trans Dentonites contribute to the community every day.

For those who may not know, Nov. 13-Nov. 20, is National Transgender Awareness Week. This is a nationally recognized time dedicated to using our voices, our social media and our choices in politics, to uplift the trans community. However, this truly should be done every day.

It’s an exciting moment to watch Denton take a strong step forward as we all try to work our way through these thick, muddy waters surrounding the current election season. Add to that, the fact that Denton still only has 52 out of the 100 points needed for a perfect score based on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2018 Equality Index, this proclamation is a bit of a glimmering light. It seems that now, thanks to what we can only imagine are the recent changes to the city council and pushes made by its committees, Denton is taking this ranking seriously, and in turn, its citizens seriously.  

Today,  we’re unsure of how voting will truly turn out. People are turning out of the woodwork from all sides to fight for their candidate and let their voices be heard. Some of these citizens don’t want to recognize the trans community, even erase them from our history, our society. It’s an unfortunate, but true thought. However, among all of this calamity, one can only hope that the Denton trans community can sleep a hair easier, knowing places like Denton have good people with good hearts eager and ready to validate and support the existence of everyone.

To our Trans community:
We see you, we hear you, and we validate your existence. We are here to support you every step of the way, as best we can.

UPDATE: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Denton had a 40 in the Equality Index. The article has been updated to reflect the correct score.

Header image by Zendra Morales.

Header design by Tori Falcon.