Now, you often see a situation in news or public discourse where you have a bunch of non-trans people talking about trans issues (I do it all the time!), which is why it's so refreshing to see, for once, trans people offering perspective.
 
MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry brought together NYC council candidate Mel Wymore, writer and activist Kate Bornstein, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality Mara Keisling and radio host Alison Kilkenny to speak about trans issues beyond the post-Miss Universe competition. The video is about 20 minutes long, but there are some amazingly intelligent people talking about issues ranging from trans inclusion/exclusion to the prison system.
 
Just to point out, a pet peeve of mine is people who, instead of saying “transgender” say “transgendered,” like it’s a verb (ie, I woke up and then I transgendered to work. I was transgendering all day long. I got so drunk last night I transgendered all over the place). Also, Harris-Perry calls herself “a cis,” though the correct terminology is cisgender, which means that the gender you were assigned at birth and your gender-identity match. Quibbles aside, as Harris-Perry so eloquently says, “At the end of the day everybody wants to be seen for who they are, not what other people assume them to be. And if we aren’t willing to see someone for who they are, then it’s impossible for them to enjoy the experience of being a full citizen.” Beautiful!