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By Zythyra Basha
It’s Time, America! is a nationally-organized grassroots civil rights group formed during the 1994 Transgender Law Conference, dedicated to securing and safeguarding the rights of all transgendered and gender variant persons. It’s Time, New Hampshire!, founded in 1997, is a statewide chapter of It’s Time, America!. It’s Time, America!’s mission is to educate the U.S. Congress, state and local governments, and other transgendered and non-transgendered political organizations, on the issues and concerns of transgendered people and to work for and protect our equal rights as American citizens. Each state chapter is autonomous and operates on its own, as issues that each state faces are often unique to the region and its residents. For more information, please visit the It’s Time, America! website at www.tgender.net/ita/.
It’s important to mention that It’s Time, America! isn’t just for transgendered people. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and intersex people, their partners and families, and straight people as well, can also face discrimination, not only because of their sexual orientation, but often because their gender presentation or behavior are considered to be outside the norm. No one is completely immune from the gender policing that we all, consciously or subconsciously, take part in. There is constant scrutiny, both externally and internally, to make absolutely sure that we fit into the proper roles our society has created for us. Ask yourself what your gender presentation might be like if you were safe from harassment and ridicule. Would it be the same as what you currently present? Or might you express yourself in a completely different fashion (pun most definitely intended)? Our goals are inclusive of everyone regardless of orientation, and I hope and work for the day in which every person is free to express their gender in the unique and loving way that is appropriate to their inner self.
Here’s a little history about how It’s Time, New Hampshire! got started. I am quite fortunate to count among my longtime friends, Jessica Xavier, who was among the original founders and board members of It’s Time, America!. When I moved to New Hampshire in 1996 from rural northern Virginia, and far away from my friends and involvement with the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia transgender communities, she suggested that perhaps I might wish to start a chapter in New Hampshire, as none yet existed.
Jessica put me in touch with the late Penni Ashe, of It’s Time, Massachusetts!, and we corresponded. A few months later Penni was scheduled to speak at a monthly meeting of the now defunct Gender Talk North transgender support group. I drove an hour and a half to southwestern New Hampshire and participated in the meeting as representative of our newly founded It’s Time, New Hampshire! chapter. Penni was an impassioned speaker and activist, and very articulate on the shared concerns of transgender folks and our LGBIQ and straight allies. After the meeting we went out for coffee, and talked for hours at the local Dunkin Donuts before our respective long drives. She was quite an inspiration.
Although It’s Time, New Hampshire! is a very small chapter compared to some others around the country, we’ve been successful in our efforts thus far. One of the primary objectives of It’s Time, America! is education and outreach. In support of that goal we have spoken or given presentations to various groups on transgendered issues. Another important objective is networking and working in conjunction with other LGBTIQ organizations towards our often very similar goals. Past efforts include testifying at hearings for passage of HB90, and we are currently involved in forming a northern contingent of the statewide Freedom to Marry Coalition. I also served on the PFLAG board for a two year term and worked with the committee for safe schools.
We have been in contact with the New Hampshire Human Rights Commission to inquire as to whether transgendered people are covered under the laws passed in HB421 forbidding discrimination because of sexual orientation. They seem to think that we are likely covered, however, at the time we spoke with them there hadn’t yet been any cases that questioned this. If any readers have experienced discrimination or violence because of gender variance, please let us know, as another of the missions of It’s Time, America! is to document instances of discrimination against gender variant people.
Finally, although it is not officially part of the It’s Time, America! mission statement, I think an important issue is simply to have contact with other like minded people, given the isolation that many transgender, along with other LGBIQ people, can feel living in rural areas like much of New Hampshire.
It’s Time, New Hampshire!, together with a number of other people in the White Mountains region, have recently formed an umbrella group called Inclusive Moose. We’ve been hosting monthly movie nights since September; so far we’ve shown My Beautiful Laundrette, The Incredibly True Story of Two Girls in Love, Ma Vie En Rose, Watermelon Woman and But I’m a Cheerleader. We’ve recently started having monthly potluck suppers and plans are underway for a June pride event in our area. By the time this goes to press we hope to have a website up at www.inclusivemoose.org. You can also contact Inclusive Moose by email at inclusive@earthlink.net.
In closing, there’s plenty of work to do here in New Hampshire towards attaining equal rights for transgendered and gender variant people, along with procuring these same rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and others. We can always use more people to help, so please join us in making New Hampshire a better, safer place to live for all. To contact It’s Time, New Hampshire!, email us at y2gender@earthlink.net.
Zythyra Basha is an acoustic musician, writer, teacher and activist. Zythyra is a cofounder of It’s Time, New Hampshire, a statewide chapter of It’s Time, America, and a cofounder of Inclusive Moose. Zythyra identifies as M2F2? (at least for this week), prefers not to use gender pronouns, and resides in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.