San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
REJECT HOSTILITY. I AM A THREAT TO NO ONE.
This is in praise of the compassion, courage and love of the staff of Cameron Family YMCA in Santee and the 72 faith leaders who openly supported them. As a transgender woman of color, it is truly a divine thing when I can find love and acceptance in a social group. I have found that and much more at the Cameron Y and among my beloved aqua sisters. Never, ever have I been shunned or made to feel like an embarrassment or a burden during my membership there. They didn’t just follow state law allowing me access to the proper facilities; they follow the love of their hearts and souls.
I don’t think it’s appropriate to focus too much on the demonstration events of Jan. 18, that occurred in front of the YMCA on that night, but instead on the more than 100 people celebrating joy, love, fellowship, inclusion, diversity and support for the YMCA of Santee, that took place 50 yards to the west! The divine sounds of music drowned out the hateful and insulting speeches reminiscent of the Dark Ages.
My name is Christynne Lili Wrene Wood, 66 years of age, and I’ve quite happily resided in San Diego County since February 1980. I’m also a transgender woman who was employed for 29 years by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency and retired in June 2018. In 1992, I received the “Illustrious 16” award for performing as one of the top 16 clerks out of 1,077 people.
I’ve been a devotee and unabashed enthusiast of the health benefits of water aerobics since 2007 and credit it with saving and adding extra years to my life.
I can honestly say that I could live 100 lifetimes and never truly deserve the unconditional love and support that I’ve received and continue to receive from my beloved aqua sisters and the staff and management of the Cameron YMCA and the YMCAS of San Diego County, in general. The YMCA, since its inception 150 years ago, has been and continues to be a shining beacon of joy, love and fellowship. We’re blessed to have it.
Because of the anticipated protest by groups that are against LGBTQ+ rights, a more loving group of East County citizens organized a Celebration of Joy in support of the YMCA. During the Celebration of Joy on the evening of Jan. 18 (which was put together in just three days), I had the privilege and blessing of meeting several families who had brought their children to show love and support for the LGBTQ+ community and reject fear, anger and hostility against us. It was an honor to hug them and be photographed with them. Those parents are showing parenting done right with love and compassion! My thanks also to the contingent of sheriff ’s deputies for keeping the
peace and ensuring our safety.
I must mention the vision and foresight of the California Assembly and Senate, which properly addressed the safety needs of the transgender community by passing the laws that granted us access to the proper facilities, even though it might have subjected them to political risk at the polls. Such acts of courage must be properly acknowledged — they saved lives while not putting non-trans lives at risk! Indeed, no statistics exist that a transwoman has ever attacked anyone in a locker room, ever, in spite of rightwing hype and hysteria.
This hysteria went worldwide and within 48 hours after I was erroneously accused of being a “naked man” in the women's locker room of the Cameron YMCA, a local media outlet broadcast that (along with a teenage child's tearful testimony before the
Santee City Council) without the benefit of any fact checking or responsible research. A news anchor at this media outlet said that I was still “anatomically male,” also a horrible falsehood, since my vaginoplasty was completed in January 2020.
Please understand that the words of a White girl are taken so seriously by our society that they have led to the beating and lynching of people of color, such as Emmett Till in 1955, and this reality is always in the mind of people of color.
Wednesday, Jan. 25, was by no means a normal day. My aquatic sisters and I discussed who would be joining me at the Santee City Council meeting that night and who planned to speak. The theme of those statements was, “I am a threat to no one.”
Those in attendance filled the council chambers and an overflow room with the message of compassion, acceptance, courage, joy and love! Truly a divine crescendo to the symphony of rainbows.