it's what you want to know
Celebrated with flag raises and solidarity marches around the world, Transgender Day of Visibility on the Main Line will largely pass … invisibly.
“I’d love to say we’ll mark it in some way,” says a Devon mom of a 16-year-old transgender boy. “But the truth is: things don’t feel safe these days. A flag in the yard may put a target on our backs. We will mark it in our hearts.”
She’s not alone.
Don’t bother searching for Cal Stone McMillan in Conestoga’s 2103 yearbook. The only McMillan listed is brainy trumpeter Caroline, and well, she’s long gone.
Because Caroline, in trans parlance, is Cal’s “dead name.”
In print and in person, Caroline has been largely erased – birth certificate, passport and driver’s license all say “Calvin” now. Calling Cal “Caroline” would be “deadnaming,” disrespectful because it signals non-acceptance.
Along with the masculine name, there’s a manly physique, a strong handshake, a deeper voice, a beard.
