A flag representing the trans community. (Image courtesy of Flickr user torbakhopper.)

The LGBTQ has many sub-communities within itself, and often while speaking on the whole, many supporters forget who all is included. One such group that seems to be sidelines in the “T.” Transgendered youth have struggles just like the rest of us, and their own plight is not something to take lightly. The discrimination transgendered people experience is part of our own, and unfortunately, as of late, I meet many people in the LGBTQ community who refuse to believe that transgendered individuals are the same as themselves.

With that in mind, I have been lucky enough to encounter two individuals who, despite the obvious lack of support regarding their gender identity, manage to keep a wonderful outlook on life. They are women. They were born women, and they will always be women. Unfortunately, whatever divine power there may be decided that they would be born sexually male, and due to this minor inconvenience, it has caused them to work through some of the most difficult and rewarding experiences of their entire lives. I wouldn’t know what all they experience, being a gay man who identifies as male, but I’m curious to see what actually goes on in their lives.

Demonstrators gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, as the court hears arguments on a part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that prevents legally wed same-sex couples from receiving certain benefits by defining marriage as between a man and woman. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

The year 2012 was a pretty historic year in terms of marriage equality. The lower house of Uruguay’s Congress voted in overwhelming support of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage. At the very last minute, however, the upper chamber of Congress opted to postpone the vote until April 2013 in order to further discuss the language of the bill. This bill is expected to pass the Senate in April and President Jose Mujica has promised to sign the bill into law as soon as it reaches his desk. To me, the progress in Uruguay signifies more positive change in the world than the victories we experienced here in the United States, though those victories obviously hit much closer to home. Any stigma or stereotype that we can break regarding Latin countries and homophobia is a huge victory. We also experienced some victories in the fight for marriage equality right here in the United States in 2012. Maine, Washington and Maryland all voted to approve bills that made same-sex marriage legal on election night.

This year has already proven to be looking good for marriage equality. On February 5th, the lower house of the United Kingdom’s Parliament, the House of Commons, voted 400 to 175 in favor of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage throughout the entire UK. Before this bill can become law, though, has a few more steps to go before becoming law. The House of Lords is usually a more difficult house to pass through, but this bill in particular is expected to pass due to the overwhelming support in the House of Commons. Despite a large lack of support in his own Conservative Party, Prime Minister David Cameron has vocalized his support for marriage equality, saying: “I am a strong believer in marriage. It helps people commit to each other, and I think it is right that gay people should be able to get married too. This is, yes, about equality. But it is also about making our society stronger.” (The Advocate)