[–]Dawniechi
I saw a video recently of a guy who went to his friend's funeral only to find out that his friend was transmasc. He saw his friend as a guy, and it upset him to see that his friend was put in a dress, disrespecting his identity. So he made an effort to derail as much as possible and blame the people there.
As a trans woman,
when I eventually pass, if I am put in some suit and have my hair cut, please make a mockery of my funeral. Megaphones, air horns, the whole works. Hell, start doing my makeup right then and there at the casket.
While I am not your neighbor,
I can tell you that she will 100% get heavily disrespected at her own funeral. If you don't want to cause some massive scene like I described above, then just be there and provide your own speech, using proper pronouns and name. Have at least one person there that gets it.
That feels good - but does it really help the rest of us, in the public's eye?
In the aftermath of such a display, do you think legislation would relax - or clamp down more?
It really doesn't matter what we do, they want us gone. We've not been in the public eye for decades and then been dragged out as scape goats by politicians so they can do what ever they want while the public is busy trying to erase us
I understand the sentiment, but when it comes to the disrespect of our own deaths, I simply cannot stand by idly. We spend much of our lives trying to be perfect role models just to hope and pray that some bigot doesn't point at us and accuse us of heinous things without a single ounce of evidence and be believed implicitly by society.
When it comes to the procedures of our own deaths, and how we will spend the rest of our lives dressed and displayed amongst the dirt, I refuse to just let the bigots have another victory over us. If I die young and am made to present masculinely in a casket, I beg and plead that my partner make a mockery of it all. The final disrespect we get should be among the living, not among the dead.
[–]RobIsInTheSky
openly blame them for the suicide if they do
Blame them where? At the funeral home?
When going up to speak, “I wish I knew, name better but from what I’ve seen here today I no longer wonder why she chose to kill herself because you have given a perfect explanation by denying her very identity in an attempt to make her something she was not and could never be. It truly is something else when even after she’s dead and gone, you still cling to a past illusion which was the very reason she’s gone…” name and shame at a funeral, is it fucked up to have to do? Yes, if I was being dead named and crap, I’d want someone to do that though.
Words well said, I'd want this to be said too to relatives if they would go deep and hard with their misgendering and deadnaming. I don't think it will occur in my case, but otherwise I will probably still need some clause in my testament, in case of emergency.
Definitely do it at the end because nobody knows what they'll do
[–]Lupulus_
I'm very sorry for your loss, and also thankful people like you are around as our friends and neighbors x
Honestly while rage or forcing politeness from bigots feels tempting, what might help grief most is just offering to host a separate DIY ceremony for people who actually knew her as her. It can be simple as meeting somewhere to swap stories and photos over some easy shareable food, then visiting her grave together.
When it's my turn, the place my corpse ends up isn't what will make it my funeral. Where my friends and actual family gather to remember me will be.
If you're not aware, Trans Day of Rememberence is 20th November every year. Finding a local event and lighting a candle can be just as moving and important as some expensive church affair.
[–]1i2728
For Those Whose Dying Breaths Were Silenced Please read this short piece.
It doesn't matter that you didn't know her well.
You knew her better than her own mother, and that means you have a right to speak over her.
I don't hold any superstitions nor religious beliefs about my corpse having any connection to my soul after I die -
I don't place any stock in funerary rites - but if my folks held a transphobic funeral for me, I would consider it my dying wish for somebody - anybody - to disrupt it.
Please do.
Make a eulogy. PM me if you want, and I'll help you write it.
Call these people out in the harshest way possible. Go with a friend. Put that shit on You Tube. Shame these bastards in any way you can think of.
Every trans suicide is a murder, and I guarantee you the killer will be in that room.
[–]ChickinSammich
If it were me, I'd want anyone who was gonna misgender or deadname me to not be invited to my funeral. Unfortunately, since the people running the funeral
are those people, I don't think that has a good chance of happening.
They're almost certainly going to deadname and misgender her on purpose.
You can and probably should speak up in her defense. You will probably be accused of making a scene and will probably be asked or told to leave. I'm not telling you
not to do it,
I'm just saying that anything you do to honor her that's blatant enough to call out the transphobia will also be used as justification to accuse you of "causing drama" or "starting trouble" or something similar.
So if that's your plan, make sure you go into it with that in mind. Good luck, OP.
[–]spacek56
This is truly horrific. I am so sorry to hear this. I would be worried too.
You could gently restate her name nd pronouns in conversations every time it comes up. Or if there is a section where they let anyone else speak, you could go up and bring this up. You could be more aggressive like you say, but
at the end of the day the funeral is for the family and friends of her and not for her. It is everyone else's way to begin the grieving process so it might not be worth it to make a massive fuss. I would if I was closer to the person, but this is just a very tough situation in general.
I couldn’t disagree more. People who have terminal illness help plan their own funeral, they pick songs they’d like played. It’s as much about them as people as it is for any family or friends that attend. The funeral is their opportunity to say goodbye, and deadnaming and misgendering the deceased is incredibly offensive.
If I had a funeral I’d had any role in planning and thought that might happen, I’d leave explicit instructions that those people be told to fuck off.
[–]hommenym
Shout her name at her funeral! Every time someone fucks up! LOUD ENOUGH FOR THE DEAD TO HEAR!!
[–]Furie_216
IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE! TELL HER STORY!!! When they have thr moment people can get up and talk.
Use her name and tell them SHE was trans and the unacceptance amd lack of support of people is what caused her to do what she did. It doesn't matter if you were not super close, no one knows that. You were close enough to care about her being deadnamed.
[–]SocialPsychProj
Do that goofy shit in honor of her and her name she'll've appreciated it