When Mikki Gillette transitioned in 2011, she said people attempted to have her fired from her job. Fellow employees went to the media to pressure her employer, she said, and it was only because of nondiscrimination protections for transgender people that she was able to retain her job.
Gillette completed her transition and changed careers to pursue advocacy. Today she works as the Major Gifts Officer for Basic Rights Oregon, in addition to working on their grant writing team and overseeing their planned giving program.
“I’m one of the lucky ones and many members have struggled in the same place I have thrived," Gillette said. “The playing field isn’t even for trans people in our society.”
Gillette was an invited speaker Thursday, March 31 as the Board of County Commissioners proclaimed the date Transgender Day of Visibility in Multnomah County. The annual event brings awareness to the lives and contributions of transgender people, while recognizing the violence and discrimination transgender people continue to face.
International Transgender Day of Visibility was founded in 2009 by Michigan activist Rachel Crandall to raise awareness about the experience of LGBTQ+ people. At the time, the only other event that recognized transgender people — Transgender Day of Remembrance — mourned their murders, but did not celebrate the living.
This year’s proclamation takes place as a number of state legislatures across the country consider a record number of anti-transgender laws. More than 320 anti-LGBTQ+ bills are under consideration, drawing condemnation from leaders, transgender advocates and human rights groups.
“Our transgender expansive communities remain under attack in many parts of this country,” Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson said. “I’m proud to know every member of this board stands in solidarity against these policies.”
As the mother of two transgender youth, Commissioner Sharon Meieran said the experience of recent attacks on transgender rights feels very real. In another state, she wondered if she might be arrested for providing gender-affirming services to her children.
“I want my children to have limitless opportunities, to live a long and joyful life, and to be loved exactly for who they are,” Commissioner Meieran said. “And I want this for every trans person in our community—trans, queer, transgender nonbinary people.”
Advocates celebrate progress for local transgender community and encourage more to be done
Manumalo “Malo” Ala’ilim is the board president of Pride Northwest, which has coordinated the Portland Pride Parade and Festival for more than 25 years. In the spirit of transgender visibility, Malo shared a number of recent local milestones in Multnomah County’s transgender community.
Transgender people experience disproportionate rates of Portland, and organizations like Pride Northwest are playing a role in the development of LGBTQ+ housing options, including the C3PO Queer Affinity Village, Malo said. Black and Beyond the Binary Collective, in partnership with JOIN, has provided housing options for transgender and BIPOC communities. Other developments include food distribution, rental assistance, and vaccine clinics to the transgender community through UTOPIA PDX.
Malo also encouraged commissioners to support investments in an LGBTQ+ coalition of community-based organizations; funding for a central hub for LGBTQ+-led organizations that provide direct services; and summit to discuss major issues affecting the transgender community.
From a policy standpoint, Malo proposed revisiting hiring practices and processes to be more inclusive of transgender representation; transgender inclusion training for incumbents and new hires; revisiting procurement processes to reduce obstacles for LGBTQ+ organizations and firms; and enhanced data collection to help inform parties to make informed decisions about issues impacting the transgender community.
“Thank you for your suggestions and requests and demands to have more culturally-specific opportunities to engage with the county,” Commissioner Lori Stegmann said. “I think those are wonderful suggestions.”
Stacey Rice, a consultant who has partnered with Multnomah County's Aging, Disability & Veterans' Services Division, transitioned more than 20 years ago. An expert in data collection, Rice shared 2021 Gallup survey results that showed 87 percent of people reportedly know someone who is gay or lesbian, but only 31 percent know someone who is transgender.
As a member of the transgender community, Rice said that gap speaks to the threats of violence and discrimination that transgender people face, preventing them from fully expressing themselves. Back when Rice lived in North Carolina, she said, the lack of transgender protections prevented her from being open about her identity.
Rice recently interviewed transgender elders to get their feedback about aging services to inform the County’s Area Plan on Aging. Older adults often feel isolated in their own way, Rice said. Compound that with being transgender, and the isolation is even greater.
Of all the quotes from the interviewees, Rice said one in particular touched her deeply. It was from a participant who explained that, when they think of the transgender community, they believe it is a community that can offer so much to the rest of the world.
“And I think that is deeply true,” Rice said.
After Commissioner Vega Pederson read the proclamation, board members thanked the presenters for highlighting the progress that’s been made and the work that must be done to better serve the transgender community.
“We have made great strides,” Chair Deborah Kafoury said. “We know we have a long way to go. We have more to do. You’ll see more from this commission in the years to come, but it’s with the partnership of our community whom we value greatly.”