FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: DeAnne Cuellar, 210-896-9141, deanne.cuellar@equalitytexas.org

AUSTIN, Texas – Equality Texas Foundation today launched a new public education effort designed to introduce Texans to transgender people and the issues impacting their lives. The campaign includes an educational video featuring Dylan, a transgender construction worker and his coworker Steven.

“Transgender people are part of our families, workplaces, congregations, and neighborhoods—even if we may not always know it. That is why it is so important that Texans get to know and hear from real transgender people, like Dylan, who are living and working in our communities. We may come from different backgrounds and have different beliefs, but we have so much more in common: a belief in hard work, taking care of our families, and contributing to our community,” Chuck Smith of Equality Texas Foundation said.

In the video, Dylan’s coworker Steven notes that it took some adjusting for him and his coworkers when they first learned that Dylan had transitioned from female to male. Yet, “over time, we all got past it.  Dylan is a great plumber.  He works just as hard as the rest of us.”

Personal stories like Dylan’s have proven to be a powerful educational tool for helping change hearts and minds across the country.

“It can be hard to understand what it means to be transgender—especially if you have never met a transgender person before. For many people, I will be the only transgender person that they might meet,” Dylan said. “That’s why it’s important that I share my story.”

You can watch the ad here: https://youtu.be/qBrrPb5GyuI

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