WHETHER ITS STATES TAKING A
STAND ON BATHROOM RIGHTS TO
CAITLYN JENNER'S
TRANSFORMATON....THE TRANSGENDER
COMMUNITY HAS BEEN PUT FRONT
AND CENTER AS OF LATE.
ACTIVISTS SAY IT'S A COMMUNITY
THAT IS AMONG US.....HERE TO
STAY AND WE ALL NEED TO HAVE A
BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND
ACCEPTANCE OF WHO THEY ARE...
"I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHO I AM
FIRST AND KNOW WHAT I'M ABOUT
BEFORE THEY MAKE A JUDGEMENT
CALL BASED ON MY APPEARANCE."
KAREN KENDRA HOLMES WEARS SO
MANY HATS.......A SAFETY
OFFICER FOR THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT......SHE'S A STAFF
SERGEANT WITH THE MARYLAND
DEFENSE FORCE.......VOTED
SOLIDER OF THE YEAR IN 2013...A
VOLUNTEER WITH THE AMERICAN RED
CROSS..
HOLMES IS ALSO AN ADVOCATE FOR
THE TRANSGENDER
COMMUNITY......BUT DIFFERENT
THAN CAITLYN JENNER.
á
"THEY KNOW CAITLYN JENNER
BECAUSE OF HER STATUS AND HER
CELEBRITY AND ALL THAT KIND OF
STUFF, SO I BASICALLY, I LOOK
AT IT AS I'M GONNA SEIZE THE
MOMENT YOU KNOW ME PERSONALLY
I'M GONNA TELL YOU MY STORY."
KAREN.....USED TO BE ANTHONY.
OCTOBER 1, 2010 SHE TRANSITIONED
FROM A MAN TO BEING A WOMAN.
"I KEPT CRYING OUT TO GOD ASKING
HIM TO SHOW ME WHAT'S GOING ON,
WHY DO I KEEP GOING BACK TO THE
SAME THING OVER AND OVER."
THE BACK AND FORTH WAS BETWEEN
CLOTHES....BUT IN HER HEART
HOLMES KNEW SHE WAS A
WOMAN......AFTER ATTENDING A
CONFERENCE IN PHILADELPHIA ON
TRANSGENDER ISSUES....SHE WAS
CONVINCED.
HER FAMILY FROM HER
FATHER.....TO HER MOTHER AND
BROTHER WERE ALL SUPPORTIVE.
HER TRANSITION AT WORK AND WITH
HER VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS
ALSO WENT SMOOTHLY.
"I'M DEFINITELY FORTUNATE AND
BLESSED ABOUT EVERYTHING WITH
FAMILY, WORK AND MY VOLUNTEER
GROUPS THAT KNOW. WHEN I TOLD
THEM HEY I HAVE TO TELL YOU ,
AND WHEN I TOLD THEM I WAS
TRANSGENDER THEY SAID, WOW, I
THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA LEAVE THE
ORGANIZATION TO ME THAT WAS
AWESOME."
HOLMES SET HER PLAN IN
MOTION.....WITHIN FIVE
YEARS......SHE WOULD UNDERGO
GENDER REASSIGNMENT SURGERY.
"IT'S THAT COMPLETENESS, THE
WHOLENESS THAT I WANTED TO FEEL
INSIDE."
AND ON THE OUTSIDE TOO....SHE
REMEMBERS ONE INCIDENT IN
PARTICULAR.
"I WAS HAVING TOTAL KNEE SURGERY
AND THEY WERE GOING THROUGH MY
MEDICAL STUFF FOR TREATMENT AND
THEY SAID WHAT IS THIS
MEDICATION FOR AND I TOLD THEM.
THEY CAME BACK AND SAID THEY
WERE GOING TO HAVE TO PUT MALE
ON YOUR WAISTBAND, AS YOUR
GENDER. I SAID WHY, MY DRIVERS
LICENSE, PASSPORT, SOCIAL
SECURITY CARD ALL SAY FEMALE.
THEY SAID WE DON'T WANT TO SHOCK
OUR O-R STAFF."
TODAY HOLMES USES HER PREVIOUS
EXPERIENCES TO EDUCATE
OTHERS....SHE SPEAKS WITH
FAMILIES WHOSE YOUNG CHILDREN
ARE HAVING GENDER IDENTITY
ISSUES.....AS WELL AS MEDICAL
STUDENTS.
"I TOLD THEM YOU ARE GOING TO BE
THE ONE THAT'S GOING TO MAKE OR
BREAK THE LIFE OF A TRANSGENDER
PERSON IN YOUR CARE. I SAID
IT'S UP TO YOU TO CHANGE THAT
WHOLE MENTALITY."
SHE WISHES THE REST OF SOCIETY
WOULD FOLLOW... BUT LAWS LIKE
WHAT STATES LIKE NORTH CAROLINA
ARE PASSING ABOUT WHO CAN USE
WHAT BATHROOM ARE DISCOURAGING.
"I DON'T KNOW WHY PEOPLE ARE SO
HUNG UP ABOUT THE BATHROOM
ISSUE. TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ARE
LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, NORMAL
PEOPLE WE JUST WANT TO GO TO
THE BATHROOM AND BUG OUT... -
WE'RE NOT THERE TO CAMP OUT OR
SCOPE OUT ANYTHING THAT'S GOING
ON IN THE BATHROOM."
"WE HAVE SO MANY TRANSGENDER
PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE HAPPY FOR
WHO THEY ARE. THEY TRANSITION
TO BE HAPPY BUT BECAUSE OF THE
WAY SOCIETY IS, THEY EITHER
LOOSE THEIR FAMILY, THEIR JOBS,
THEIR HOMES, AND THEY COMMIT
SUICIDE."
HOLMES IS NO CAITLYN JENNER, BUT
WANTS TO OFFER HOPE FOR REAL
PEOPLE GOING THROUGH THE
STRUGGLE.
SHE WAS MARRIED FOR 18
YEARS......NOW SHE'S MOVED ON
TO A NEW CHAPTER JUST TRYING TO
LIVE A NEW NORMAL......BUT STILL
VERY MINDFUL OF THE LIFE SHE
LEFT BEHIND.
á
"I'LL STILL NEVER FORGET WHERE I
CAME FROM, I'LL DEFINITELY SAY
LOOK THIS IS WHO I USED TO BE,
AND I'M PROUD OF IT. TONY
LIVED A GREAT LIFE BACK THEN
BEING INVOLVED IN VOLUNTEERING.
IT WAS A SPRINGBOARD TO WHO
KAREN IS TODAY."
KAREN HAD HER SURGERY APRIL 8TH
AND I'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH
HER ON A REGULAR BASIS AND SHE
SAYS IT WENT.
WELL..