LGBT Pride the Mermaid Way

 “I've held a 'Mermaid' by the hand, as she grew up - they do exist, but many have no tail, or scales, or cannot even swim. But they do find their place to stand, given time.”

Today, June 26th 2013 has left a monumental mark on history, the DOMA Act has been overturned! June is a month where spring is in the air, fathers are celebrated, and it is the month of Superman’s birth. It is also an entire month dedicated to the LGBT community and today gives us all something more to celebrate! The Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and everyone else in between pride month! Here in California we have huge pride festivals all of over, Disneyland holds a special “gay day” and Parades line the streets of cities around the country.  While this a wonderful month to express your individuality, what does it have to do with mermaids?

EVERYTHING!

Coming out of the closet, transitioning from one gender to another and drag, all harkens back to the mermaid myths and mysterious power of TRANSITION.  From the very beginning legends have told us that mermaids hold the power of transition.  The Celtic Selkies are seals until they come on land and shed their seal form and YawksYawks of Australia are known as dancing mermaids, at night they emerge from the water with legs and dance about the land. Some stories tell us that if a mermaid dries out she will turn human and some mermaids do not have the power of transformation so they seek it out with a magic spell from a sea witch.  The heart and the very base of mermaids is the mystery behind their ability to transform and fit into two very different worlds.

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The word Drag comes to us from William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Women were not allowed on stage, so naturally young men would play the female roles. Marked next to the male actor's name who was to play the female role was... D.R.A.G or Dressed Resembling A Girl.

Alexis Mateo RuPaul's Drag Race

Some of us are familiar with one little girl…Jazz the Mermaid, is a little girl on big mission. Early on Jazz knew she had been born into the wrong body; thankfully her parents came to her rescue and raised her to be an outstanding young woman.

 Now in her teens, Jazz is an activist for http://www.transkidspurplerainbow.org/ an organization

 helping transgender children and their families. 

To read more about Jazz, check issue 5 of Tail Flip magazine http://issuu.com/t_obrecht/docs/tail_flip_issue_5  

or follow her on MerNetwork!

In the UK, a small group of families started a support group that took the ideas of transitions, mermaids, and strength and applied them to their children. Children who were struggling with idea that they had been born into the wrong gender, children who identified as the other sex and children who were scared and frightened because they weren't like anyone else.  It all began with one of founding families son when he asked….” his Mum (when he was about 9) 'Would you still love me if I was a Mermaid?' - on other words, no matter how different I am, will you still love me? When we were looking for a name, this was mentioned, and the then director of the clinic that sees our children (Domenico Di Ceglie) said that the Mermaid was a popular image among trans woman of all ages.” Quote by Linda, Mermaids Liaison.  Their brochure is full of poems, artwork and helpful information!

 Mermaid Brochure.pdf

All Mermaid.Uk.Org images and poems are copyrighted!

When you allow your children to grow up in a family that understands and accepts them for who they are it will benefit them greatly. 

Mermaidsuk.org.uk does just that. ….

Quoted from the website

Mermaids is a support group for gender variant children and teenagers, and their families.  Our goal is to relieve the mental and emotional stress of all persons aged 19 years and under who are in any manner affected by gender identity issues, and their families and to advance public education in the same.

To this end, Mermaids advocates: Let the child develop as he or she is naturally meant to, whilst loving and accepting them for who they are at the present time.  Seek help to alleviate any distress they may show.  Childhood is precious, and children should be allowed to enjoy it to the full.

In support of this we:

• Offer support to parents, families, carers and others.
• Raise awareness about gender issues amongst professionals (e.g. teachers, doctors, social services. etc.,) and the general public

§  Campaign for the recognition of this issue and an increase in professional services

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I love that Mermaidsuk.org.uk has taken the old myths and made them relevant to today’s issues. They are keeping out legends alive and at the same time our legends are keeping them alive.  These children will bring a future where hate crimes and sexual inequality are a thing of the past.  We must all learn to live and love together, it is not enough to tolerate we must embrace! To the LGBT Community and the Mermaid Community, I love, accept, and embrace all of you. 

Words from Mermaids (transgender children),

Quoted from the website

Day by Day

by Bree
Age 17

I dread the next day
I have come to dread everyday
for each one I live
the life of another not mine
I can never live
the life that first meant for me
this life I now live
is a prison unfamiliar
my soul is now trapped
in bones it never knew and foreign flesh the torture never dies and my hopeless cries cover my smile now and forever

Drawing by a Transgender Child

Sea Views

By DJ Kingsbury

I stare out into the sea
Wishing I'll be able to shine as me.
Though the outcome of who I am
Mixed with the nature
Of the cruelty of this world,
I just don't want to exist any more.
So I stare out into the sea
Wishing to reel in a part of me.
Only to fall out of it again.

Personal Account

By a Former Mermaids Member
Now in their 20's

How's about starting a normal life?
But won't starting in the middle always be difficult?
But I suppose I never thought life would be so, well - tricky!
What happens when the only thought that occupies your mind is
"I WANT TO BE NORMAL!"
and suddenly you realize that's the only thing you'll NEVER be. Of course you have friends offering to help.
But when they will never truly understand, what's the point?
As soon as you get close to normality somebody moves the barriers.
Sometimes I try to convince myself that I am normal,
it's just the ones who don't understand or don't try to,
who aren't normal.
Somehow, I never can truly convince myself enough. But when I ask for help what happens?
Nothing.
Exactly. Perhaps I'm being selfish, stubborn, paranoid, or one of the thousand other things I've been called.
Why does it all have to be so f****** hard?

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These words are hard to read and even harder when you are the one who feels them, celebrate peoples difference, be curious not cruel and remember we are all of the same flesh and blood.

Love, Peace, and Mermaids,

    Meridian Mer-Gyver

Ps. there is a new book coming out “Mermaid Drowning” by Terry & Tiffany Jacobs. It is about a transgender woman coming to terms with her secret after 10 years of blissful marriage and three children. If you have a Kindle you can purchase the book through Amazon, otherwise you will have to wait for the hard copy!