matthewtime (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} matthewtime) wrote,@ 2008-04-13 18:53:00 |
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#15: Adopt a Highway
From the NCTE:
You know those signs along the highway that tell you the group that volunteered to pick up trash along the road? Why not use them to raise our visibility? A group in Georgia did just that. Our column this week is written by Monica Helms, who organized the effort there.
In possibly every state of the country, the Department of Transportation has a program where you can Adopt a Highway to clean up every three months, or so. The picture you see is an actual sign of the mile adopted by the entire Transgender Community of GA. The Georgia DOT did not have any issues giving it to the community, or with having the word "Transgender" on it. The attitudes and procedures can vary from state to state, but it never hurts to try.
This effort not only gives transgender people more positive visibility, but it shows that we are just as proud of the places where we live as every other person there. Adopting a Highway educates people and gives your community credibility in a way that you cannot otherwise buy. The clean up days can also foster stronger ties within the community and can be turned into a special gathering.
If at all possible, do your best to have the word “Transgender” appear on the sign and avoid acronyms that the general pubic will not know or relate to. After all, we are trying to educate the public, as well as keep our community clean. And, please be careful out there.
Thanks to you, Monica, and all of the other activists out there who are creatively making a difference for transgender people.
From the NCTE:
You know those signs along the highway that tell you the group that volunteered to pick up trash along the road? Why not use them to raise our visibility? A group in Georgia did just that. Our column this week is written by Monica Helms, who organized the effort there.
In possibly every state of the country, the Department of Transportation has a program where you can Adopt a Highway to clean up every three months, or so. The picture you see is an actual sign of the mile adopted by the entire Transgender Community of GA. The Georgia DOT did not have any issues giving it to the community, or with having the word "Transgender" on it. The attitudes and procedures can vary from state to state, but it never hurts to try.
This effort not only gives transgender people more positive visibility, but it shows that we are just as proud of the places where we live as every other person there. Adopting a Highway educates people and gives your community credibility in a way that you cannot otherwise buy. The clean up days can also foster stronger ties within the community and can be turned into a special gathering.
If at all possible, do your best to have the word “Transgender” appear on the sign and avoid acronyms that the general pubic will not know or relate to. After all, we are trying to educate the public, as well as keep our community clean. And, please be careful out there.
Thanks to you, Monica, and all of the other activists out there who are creatively making a difference for transgender people.
