Blackbird Singing No longer-But we will rise
I was very unnerved the other day when I looked out our porch window and saw that a poor blackbird had crashed into our window and was lying motionless right below it. We had just gone through a difficult period and we were finally settling into the school that my child would go to. I was wondering if we going in the right direction for our family?
The lyrics of the Beetle's song Blackbird came to my mind " You were only waiting for this moment to arise." The metaphor of death as transformation. That this bird will be buried in the ground and trees, and new life will spring forth from this song. The belief that the transgender and nonbinary community is suffering right now in the US and I feel so much sadness, but I hope that we can also rise up through this time and build a better society. The children will be the ones to lead the way.
This I am sure of. You can't grow up with other diverse children you love and care about and see them transition and use new names or pronouns, and still legislate restrictions on them. We must allow our kids safe spaces to play and grow and be free to share who they are.
The way forward is education. Positive stories. Inclusive schools. If you need some help with finding books to read, consider picking up a copy of a book from the Gender Rainbow series or reaching out to me, Leah Irby, through the contact form on this site about a virtual author visit.