With recent events in the news of the Trump administration's plan to change what it the federal government's definition of sex under Title IX, people who are transgender or gender non conforming are living in fear of their rights being taken away.

The first time that I met a transgender person was while I was in community college, and I started learning more about what they go through. Being part of the LGBTQ+ club as an ally, in both community college and university, I have met quite a few transgender people and have learned more about them. And I have learned their dreams, their hopes, their fears, their plans for the future, that they are just like us they have those things just like us.

Now, this is not meant to be a politician-bashing post, but I want to talk about what we can do to show support to our transgender, gender non conforming, or non-binary friends.

One thing that we can do is never assume a trans person's sexual orientation. They can be gay, bisexual, lesbian, or straight. Never assume that trans people are automatically not straight. Trans men can be into women and trans women can be into men. Gender identity does not determine sexuality.

The first time I ever heard about pronouns was in elementary school, and I never would have guessed they would be important for other people until I got much older and started to educate myself more about their impact and why people go by certain pronouns. The trans community really helped me understand their purpose.

If you aren't sure about what pronouns you should use for a person, listen first. Most people, even in professional fields, now specify which pronouns they are going by. Some workplaces are having their employees go by what pronouns they are using, that way people know what to use around them so there is no misgendering.

Another thing that you can do is know that there is no right or wrong way to transition. Some people have surgery and some people don't. Keep in mind that some trans people don't have access to medical care, hormones, or surgery because of lack of money, so please don't make assumptions about trans people, please.

Start taking some action. Nothing gets done by doing nothing. You've talked about how you support your friends now actually walk the walk.

You can start by donating to the different organizations that are in support of transgender and non-binary or gender non-conforming people. Here are a few charities that show their support:

National Center for Transgender Equality

Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund

Trans Life Line

The Trevor Project

RIght now more than ever, we need to show our support because nothing ever gets done by sitting around and doing nothing. The time for talk is over now begins the time of action.

Go out there and support the transgender community today!