KENNEWICK, Wash. – June is Pride Month. It all started in 1969. Pride Month now marks the annual commemoration of the Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969, when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club. The raid led to a riot followed by six days of protests, catapulting the gay rights movement in the United States and throughout the world. More than 50 years later, Pride is a celebration of the LGBTIQ+ community, a recognition of social progress and the challenges still facing the community today.
Andrea Wabaunsee is a Tri-Cities transgender woman. She is married. She is confident. She is legally a woman currently transitioning. She has had surgery and takes hormone medications.
A PEW Research report shows that the ”vast majority of Americans” know somebody that is transgender.
Andrea says the Tri-Cities is mostly full of love and that there is some hate directed her way. She says all in all her family and friends have been very supportive of her life-changes. She is a drag queen under the name Tatiana Rexia and is an advocate for LGBTQI+ rights.
Andrea believes visibility is important for the transgender community. She also believes in the importance of safe spaces.
The full interview linked discusses the future of the local transgender community, safety in this day and age and who her support systems have been.
If you or someone you know needs extra support to figure out what you are feeling the CDC has several resources. Its website says “positive environments are important to help all youth thrive. However, the health needs of LGBT Youth can differ from their heterosexual peers.”
