GREEN EDITION

20SPECIAL REPORT

Facts and truths, not ideology, are what determine reality. Let’s be hon-est…at some point we all wish that we could just become someone else, leave our old life behind and start over.

It’s indeed a privilege to be part of the conversation, on a platform that has made and still is making a significant contribution toward women empow-

erment and equality for all. Therefore, I am immensely grateful to be granted the space to openly and honestly share my truth, as a transgender woman in inde-pendent Namibia.

Thing is, I’ve never really consid-ered myself an activist. I somehow felt that would reduce the efforts of all the real activists and their ongoing fight for women’s rights. A fight that should be waged alongside, rather than eclipsed by, the one for LGBT rights.

Being transgender is not about ‘sex changes’, make-up or clothes. That’s why I want to make it clear that I am not here to promote the trans ideology or further my own agenda. Fact is, times have changed and we no longer live in a binary world in which identity, gender and sex are seen through an archaic, old-fash-

ioned, and overly simplistic lens. We, as a modern-age community have learned to accept the world, with its diversity and the people within it, the way they are.

It is very important to acknowledge the differences that exist between peo-ple, especially between cisgender and transgender people. Just as it’s equally important to highlight how damaging it is, equating lived experiences of cisgen-der (heterosexual) and gender-diverse people.

It is true that the world treats women in varied, often oppressive ways, as it is believed women are lesser – and this applies to trans women too. These are our realities, characterised worldwide by oppression, exploitation and exclusion.

With visibility comes enormous responsibility, I’ve learned—not just to stand at the front lines of a national conversation, but to ensure that my story isn’t mistaken for being representative of all trans lives. That is why I struggle with being called a trans activist, because we cannot use my single experience to tell all our stories.

I am still adjusting and learning to accept and embrace being a voice for the trans community, because the reality is

that there has always been a burden of responsibility for me to show up correct. Therefore, I still grapple with the fear, that if I don’t show up and do it right, then I’ll get shut out, and that can subsequently mean exclusion of other trans and gender diverse people as well.

There is something absolutely em-powering about being or looking differ-ent, and this is not only true for people in transition. I’ve met a lot of people that struggle with the process of waiting to become who they are. Throughout my adolescence and well into my teens, I myself was expected to fit-in and ‘act normal’, this of course assumed that I needed to adhere to a standard of normal – whatever that is.

I learned that failure to live one’s truth means compliance with the wishes of others and that can seriously undermine individual rights and self-confidence.

That is why I cannot over-emphasise the importance of self-definition and choosing a narrative that fits your life, and reflects who you are and how you identify, as the world can seem a very different place when seen from another’s perspective.

Pathologisation on the other hand,

SHOWING UP as ourselvesby Mercedez • photography Contributed

www.sisternamibia.org SISTER NAMIBIA

WOMEN’S HEALTH

plays a key role in producing and reproducing depression among trans and gender diverse people. Being diagnosed as mentally disor-dered just because of who we are, or how we express our gender, or who we love, poses a heavy burden on our daily lives. Not forgetting the assumption that all trans women enjoy male privilege and how harmful that can be. Just as harmful as it is to assume that there should be some bearing on the sexuality of men that are attracted to trans women – al-though the world might argue differently.

Several studies show trans and gender diverse people to be impacted by a combina-tion of preventable factors, including stigma, discrimination and violence; lack of affirma-tive support from families, communities and peers; harassment, marginalisation and other forms of bullying; exclusion from health care and employment; persecution, police brutality, lack of access to justice and imprisonment, including torture, sexual assault, corrective rape and solitary confinement; lack of access to legal recognition, or restricted access under conditions incompatible with human rights.

These structural and systemic factors impact with particular force upon trans and gender diverse people. If these factors do not prove that our differences aren’t by ‘choice’, but rather an innate and affirming knowing, I don’t know what will.

What we ask for is the de-pathologisation of trans and gender diverse people’s gender identities and expressions while ensuring our full access to human rights, including legal protection and gender recognition, gender-affirming procedures and treatments and their coverage.

If we are to assume that justice forms the foundation of a civilised society; It is important to highlight the simple truth that sometimes it isn’t about how we feel. It is about how the world treats us, about the subtle and often times not so subtle things that we absorb.

It is in the pages of Sister Namibia, from the many stories of the women I have read, often for the very first time, that I would see a reflection of the kind of woman I wanted to become, strong and resilient. I must admit, never have I thought that I would someday be among those stories shared.

Stories that make the biggest impact aren’t always the ones that most urgently need to be told, that’s why mine is but a snip-pet of the entire trans experience. Mine is not a need to make trans issues mainstream but rather to simply communicate the understand-ing that diversity does not have to mean divi-sion, nor should it mean exclusion.

My story is still being written. It’s simply different, and different is not synonymous with bad or wrong.

Ladies, ladies, ladies. Please understand the following demonstration is NOT a contra-ceptive. It is also NOT guaranteed to

be exact if you don’t have a regular 28-day cycle. But it IS a brilliant way of keeping track of your menstrual cycle and knowing when you are fertile and most likely to fall pregnant.

You are free to choose colours of your liking – as long as you clearly know what they indicate. In the image you see a bracelet as coloured by Feby.

Start using the bracelet on the first day of your period. It is suggested that you tie a knot, which you can shift clockwise between the beads to indicate on which day of the cycle you are. Shift the knot in the morning and know the “day you are on” is indicated by the bead to the left of the knot.

It is recommended that you use red beads to indicate the days of your period as this is easy to understand as the days of your flow.

Most women bleed between 3-7 days, with 5 being the average, which is why you can use 5 red beads. The bracelet is meant for the average woman whose menstrual cycle is 28 days. If you bleed a day or two more or less you are still considered within the average range.

At about day 14 of an average 28-day cycle, the egg leaves the ovary. This is called ovulation. After the egg has left the ovary, it travels through the Fallopian tube to the uterus. Hormone levels rise and help prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy. A woman is most likely to get pregnant during the 3 days before or on the day of ovulation. Keep in mind women with cycles that are shorter or longer than average may ovulate before or after day 14.

You should look out for other indicators of ovulation as well to determine this vital phase in your cycle. Blindly following the beads will be unwise and blaming the bracelet won’t undo matters. Other indicators include lower abdominal discomfort, a rise in body temperature and, most importantly, a change in cervical mucus. While the former two indicators may be difficult to determine, the latter is a certain guide. When the mucus is abundant, slippery and clear with the texture resembling an egg white you are considered most fertile.

The white grouping of beads, as used by Feby, represents the post-ovulatory stage. A woman becomes pregnant if the egg is fertilised by a man’s sperm cell and attaches to the uterine wall. If the egg is not fertilised, it will break apart and be released from the body within 48 hours and hormone levels will drop.

You will see the days on the image indicating the fertility tracking diagram show that 8 days after your period started you could be ovulating, whilst the Feby bracelet shows this possibility only becomes likely as of day 10. Also, the diagram shows your infertile days are from day 18 to 28, whilst the Feby bracelet shows the infertile days are days 21-28. This system is thus not an exact science and you should understand it as a guideline. To stay safe, you ladies in school, colour your beads according to the fertility diagram.

Finally, in making yourself a bracelet, notice that there are four stages to take note of: your period, the fertile days before ovulation, the serious likeli-hood of falling pregnant during ovulation, and the infertile days following ovulation.

THE MENSTRUAL

CYCLE BRACELET

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