PrideVMC Spotlight: Meet L Herman, He/Him, BS Biology, ALAT!
Your role in #vetmed?
I work as a Quality Control Animal Care Technician at Merck Animal Health
Your walk-in song?
Blueneck by Chris Housman
️In what way have you been impacted by the current unprecedented and horrific anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric?
As a trans person living in a red state that has anti-trans legislation on the books, I feel that I am being forced to live my life on the defensive. We have a governor who is committed to protecting transgender rights, but our house and senate is filled with people who are designing and proposing bills to limit my community’s freedoms, access to healthcare, and ability to exist in public spaces. I have lived in this state my entire life, and I love it here. But I fear constantly that I will be forced to leave behind my home, my family, and my friends in order to continue living my life in a way that makes me feel whole. I am determined to stay here as long as I feasibly can and fight to make this state a safe place for trans people to thrive, but it is exhausting work, and frequently I find that people are unreceptive to my attempts to inform them on how anti-trans laws legalize the suffering of myself and my community, and even if they claim to understand, they do not see our suffering as important enough to change.
There is not a feeling in the world worse than a family member choosing to vote for legislators who consistently dehumanize you and make you a target for elimination because they agree with their stance on the economy. It makes me constantly wonder if they are secretly harboring those same beliefs, and holding out hope that I will detransition if I face enough backlash and pressure. I wish there was some way for people to understand that anti-trans legislation and rhetoric doesn’t discourage or stop people from being trans, it only makes them suffer. Sometimes this is all based on misunderstanding. Sometimes the cruelty is the point. I was taught my whole life to be myself and stand up for what I believe in, and now that I am an adult doing as I was taught, I’m ostracized for it. This is a painful time to be transgender. I find hope and joy wherever I can, and I feel very privileged to have a mother who has become a vocal ally of the trans community, and an employer that not only allows for my differences but celebrates them and allows me to participate in leadership roles to support my community within our company.
I am very lucky to be housed, financially supported, and able to access gender affirming care fully covered by my insurance. I am well aware that many in my community are much more vulnerable, limited by economic status, racial discrimination, lack of family support, and a variety of other factors on the axes of oppression. I hope that by standing my ground and facing the fear that comes with living in a red state, I can, from my place of relative security, improve upon the perception and inclusion of trans individuals, if not in the eyes of our elected officials, at least in the eyes of our neighbors. I am fighting for myself, but I am always thinking of those most at risk due to this wave of legislated suffering imposed on the trans community. My heart is always with them, and it aches with every loss.
️Why are #Pride activities important to you?
Participating in pride activities and LGBTQ+ events gives me an opportunity to be in community with people like me. My state does not have many safe places for queer people to congregate without fear of harassment, so when my company or pride organizations in my community sponsor these events I make my best efforts to attend. It helps me feel less alone, and less like an outsider.
In what way do you think allies are important to any marginalized group?
Allies are important because they can communicate with people who are not allied with a marginalized group and have their opinions and thoughts taken seriously. They can also do so from a much safer position. It can also be very encouraging to see people who are not like you supporting you still.
Favorite #quote?
There is a quote attributed to Confucius that has always resonated with me; “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop”
Anything else you would like to share?
Veterinary medicine is the first love of my life. I love working in this field and improving health outcomes for animals large and small. But it was only when I stopped trying to suppress my transness that I was able to fully flourish and define key aspects of my career and my future goals within the field. I want to express that by trying to fit in within the bounds of a cisheteronormative society, I was not only denying myself full personhood, but I was limiting my ability to build a fulfilling and impactful career. I would not be where I am today if I had not transitioned.️
