Companionship and Belonging. Our human experience is shaped by our need for companionship and our desire to belong. Transgender women and men grapple with their own identity, often from a young age. They, ...we, struggle to find belonging even in our own body.

A 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that 41% of transgender people had considered suicide, compared with the national average of just over 4%. More than most, transgender people need to a supportive community to call home - it could literally mean the difference between life and death.

The process of discovering your own identity is fraught with shame and fear. Shame at being forced to violate societal norms, and fear of the impact embracing yourself could have on job security and relationships with friends and family.

Online communities like Facebook are often where transgender people begin learning about who they are. It’s where many take their first, tentative steps to express their true selves. Yet Facebook’s Real Name Policy is openly hostile to the transgender community. It requires people to use their legal name or face banning and suspension from Facebook.

Many in the transgender community have already been banned. Their accounts are left inaccessible, they can no longer contact friends, or participate in support groups. Companionship and Belonging have been snatched from them.

While there are many communities like Crossdresser Heaven that cater to transgender people, Facebook is the most accessible and well known online community. Facebook is the social fabric that should bind us together.

Stop Facebook Banning Transgender People Who Use Their Preferred Name.

Stop Facebook Ostracizing Transgender People For Expressing Their True Selves.

Let’s change Facebook’s Real Name Policy and replace it with one friendly to the transgender community.

It could mean someone is able to find encouragement and comfort.

It could save a life.