Reposted from a speech...jeez, don't I do anything original?

They put out a call for speakers for the local Transgender Day of Remembrance, and I volunteered. Here's what I said:

I've never been attacked, harassed, bullied, or even threatened. That's because most of my life has been lived from the safety of the closet. That, and I'm the size of a bull moose.

But in 1993, I was living in Lincoln, Nebraska. It's not far from where Brandon Teena was living. We never met, and as far as I can tell, our paths never crossed. And like most people, I'd never heard his name until it was too late.
I was devastated to hear about the murder, and wondered if there was something I could have done. Brandon associated with some bad people. But what if he didn't have to? What if others, like myself, had found Brandon, and taken him under our wings? Would he have turned away from that crowd? Would he be alive today?
It's too late for Brandon. For Brian McGlothin, for Angie Zapata, for Duanna Johnson, and for too many others.
But, it's not too late for everyone. For there are those among us who need help. Many put themselves in danger because they have nowhere else to go. We need to save the ones we can.
We need to find the transman contemplating suicide, because he's tired of the bullying. We need to find the transsexual who's streetwalking to earn money for surgery. We need to find the crossdresser who's hanging out at rest areas and parks, because she doesn't know where else to go.
We need to show them that it doesn't have to be like that. Look around you. We're all here tonight...we may not know each other, but in our own ways, we're family. We've saved ourselves, in some cases, we've saved others. We can be that beacon of hope for those still in the darkness.
I've been very fortunate along the way to find friends who were also positive role models. Smart, caring people who demonstrated that we weren't freaks or oddballs just by living proudly.
I've tried to thank them by paying it forward, by welcoming newcombers to the community, and talking with those still in the closet. I haven't always done a great job, but I've tried. And I hope you try too.
I hope you invite that person, trans or not, alone at the bar to join you. I hope you have something on the Internet that indicates you're willing to talk, and to listen.
We should remember the dead, but we would best serve their memories by saving their brothers and sisters.