 
Hello world, my name is Tom
and today is November 20th  2017
It's Transgender Day of Rememberance
On this day we remember all transgender people we have lost to hate crimes or suicide
Hey everyone, I'm Lio, I'm 21 and I have decided to make this video with Tom
because it's very important to both of us to show the world what it's like to be a transgender person
In the last year 87 murder cases of transgender people were reported
and there is a huge number that has never been reported
Those people were shot, stabbed, choked, beaten to death and even burnt
simply because they were different.
Because they didn't let society press them into a role that didn't fit them
and had people confused
or because their way of life did not match some people's religious beliefs
Every day trans* people around the globe are faced with discrimination
You go to school, you're discrimnated by your schoolmates
You go to a department for your name change or whatever and you're discriminated there
There are no people to turn to
It starts with small things
with ignoring the right name and pronouns
talkin behind their back
physical attacks and in the worst case - yes - murder
All of this for something the person is born with and can't do anything about
but it's not only some individuals who cause us trouble
even politics discriminate against us
There are many laws that make transitioning very hard for us
Everything is complicated and we are often dependent on the goodwill of officials and doctors
In many countries it is impossible to transition at all because of the culture, religion and the political laws
because the laws of the country forbid them to do so
When Donald Trumpe was elected president
there were many cases of transgender* suicides because people were desperate
But we also face discrimination in places where we would never expect it
Trans* people are also discriminated against within the LGBTQIA+ Community
which is underestimated very often
for example: some people are forced to conform to the gender binary
even though there are way more than two genders
Therefore many people feel like they NEED to have all the surgeries
The result is that many people get very very desperate
It's no coincidence that many trans* people are diagnosed with various mental health diagnosis
when in reality their problems stem from stigmatisation within our society
So many people suffer every day,
very few dare to open their mouth
many trans* people commit suicide due to discrimination and lack of acceptance within our society
Suicide rates in trans* people are terrifyingly high
In the US vor example they are at almost 50%
We have already lost way too many great people, wonderful, caring people to suicide
And I don't want to lose even one more
All we want is to be able to just be ourselves and just live
Our society needs change. It needs tolerance and acceptance and people who stand up for human rights
And every single one of you out there
can do something about that
You don't need to understand everything. That's okay.
I know that it's not easy to understand what a trans person is going through if you're not trans yourself
But even if you don't understand everything
you should still try to just let that person live their life
without bashing them or attacking them  for what they are
If we could all bear that in mind the world would be a much better place
You can change the world every single day in small ways. And make it better.
And the world needs that change, because the world needs you! And you and you and you!
If I had one wish I would wish that we could all learn to let others be the way they just are
And I will never give up, I will never stop fighting for that
Only together we can do this. Therefore it's important that we stand together.
And stay strong together. Thank you.
 
