The transgender community has sparked a lot of conversation and debate within the last year. With Caitlyn Jenner coming out as a transgender in early April, 2015, millions of others have been following in her footsteps. The world has seemed to become more and more accepting of the LGBT community, but is that actually the case?
Many people have heard of Gigi Gorgeous. Originally known as Gregory Allan Lazzarato, she is a Canadian model and a famous internet sensation. She now goes by the name Giselle Lazzarato. Unlike others, she documented her entire transition over Youtube for the world to see without a care in the world. Fans have credited her with being so courageous to film herself and her entire transition from male to female.
Some become agitated and disgusted when they watched the videos of her transition, but who cares that she documented her life? Plenty of heterosexual individuals videotape their lives and families, so why does it matter when a transgender does the same?
Gigi Gorgeous broke the news this week when she was detained at a Dubai airport strictly because she was transgender. She claimed the situation as "one of the scariest moments of my life" and was later saved by her partner Nats Getty.
The 24-year-old model claimed that the Dubai immigration officer stated, "I was told you are transgender. You cannot come into the country." The, "imitation of women by men," is considered illegal in Dubai according to the United Arab Emirates.
She made a video documenting the entire ordeal and exclaimed her emotions: "I full on started bawling...To the point where I was having, I thought an anxiety attack or panic attack or something. I've never felt this feeling before. I couldn't breathe."
Gigi ended up sleeping at a hotel that night because she didn't want to be arrested on Dubai soil.
Expressing her anger and disappointment, Lazzarato stated, "I knew this kind of discrimination existed...but my girlfriend and I wanted to come here. This just kind of proves that people like me are not welcome here. It doesn't matter what you have changed on your passport. You are not welcome if you are transgender."
Giselle Lazzarato claimed that her coming out was decided after her mother's death. At the age of 19, the passing of her mother helped her realize that she had to be true to herself and the world. She held guilt that she never expressed how she felt to her mother and wanted to do her family justice.
My question is, how can people be so cruel that they wouldn't let a human being enter another country? Straight, gay, bi or transgender. Who cares?
We are all human beings. We all deserve the same basic human rights. We all deserve to live a happy life with our loved ones. We should be able to travel the world and spend time with the ones we loved wherever we please. Just because a male becomes a female or vice versa, that does not make them any less human. Transgenders are not animals. Transgenders are not inhumane. Transgenders desire what all of us want; happiness, love and acceptance.
Denying a human being of those rights is simply inhumane. Denying a human being of access to another part of the world is not "saving" the world. It's undeniably hurting us. The world is becoming more and more cruel and without individuals speaking out on these injustices, the world will never change. The world cannot change until the people who inhabit it do.
Giselle perfectly exclaims the first steps into making the world a better place..."Life is too short to not do what you want to do. Let's become the most authentic you that you can be."
