By Allison Trunkey
atrunkey@soundpublishing.com

BREMERTON — On Friday, July 15, members of the public and the Kitsap County Council for Human Rights gathered for a forum discussing the transgender experience, intersectionality and implicit bias in our community.

The forum was moderated by Leah Kyaio, co-owner of With Respect, LLC, an organization that seeks to provide people with the skills and tools to reduce and eliminate racism and sexism. She asked the panelists five questions over the course of nearly three hours, ranging from how they present themselves to the public to what the community’s responsibility is, moving forward.

Here are some quotes from the event:

Moderator Leah Kyaio describing the challenge of privilege: “It’s like standing in the middle of the ocean and trying to find land that you can’t see. Privilege is the absence of contrast.”

Panelist Nathaniel Rhysnburger: “I notice, if I act too ‘gay’ around people … I get treated as less equal, less in the conversation. People become hostile. When I assert that I’m male, that causes problems. I’ve had slurs and stuff thrown at me, like the ‘F’ word … I start to be seen as aggressive if I have a breakdown [in public].”

Elayne Wylie, sharing a metaphor likening privilege to driving: “Which lanes do I get to drive in? How fast do I get to go?”

Jeremiah Allen: “I think that the goal is normalizing how people are different.”

In a last rapid-fire response, panel members were asked what the single most important concept would be, for people to embrace. Their responses:

Mitchell: “Listening.”

Nathaniel: “Empathy.”

Suzanne: “Education. And allowing for dialogue.”

Elayne: “Partnership.”

Jeremiah Allen: “Partnership and education — education is what’s going to change people’s hearts and minds.”

At the forum, quotes from the transgender community sharing their experience were displayed. Photo by Allison Trunkey