(INTO THE LIGHT) Nadia’s Letter!

Nadia pushing Equality Cart between Orlando and Cocoa Beach in the middle of August, 2012

A dear friend, Nadia Stone, wrote the following letter that she is sending out to media outlets to generate attention for the walk and the final vigil and march we are doing in Washington, DC on February 23rd.
“To Whom It May Concern,

The reason I am writing this letter is to inform you of my friend Alan Bonnville. He has been on a long journey walking across the country in hopes to raise awareness about the need for full equality for gender identity and sexual orientation. He started his walk back on 5/31/2011 and will finish on 2/23/2013. He will have walked a total of 6,000 miles when everything is said and done. What he has done is just amazing. I walked with him for one day of his journey and I still have no idea how he has been able to stay strong and continue the walk this whole time.
The reason why this has been so important to me is because I am transgender. He has been walking for me. No one will ever understand what that means to me. The sacrifices that he has made all this time to do this. I have had many struggles in life, and still do to this day, because the equality just isn’t there. Even to have a name change in this country costs a lot of money. I never thought my name would keep me from being hired for a job that I was qualified for, but it does. There is also the ridicule, teasing, and name calling that I have to deal with.

It would be nice to be open about who we are as human beings and not live in fear. I say fear because the deaths around the world of transgender people have risen 20% from 2011 to 2012. To have that happening just seems unreal. It almost makes me feel like, “When will it be my turn?” Yet even though I know this, I still can’t live my life in hiding. I feel that people are way to ignorant on what transgender ‘is’. With that, people are very scared of what they do not know. So I do my best to educate anyone who comes into my life about gender identity and gender expression. Because I feel that knowledge is power.

So I am reaching out to you in hopes that you will be willing to help bring attention to the realities faced by people who are transgender and the efforts of my friend Alan. I will be doing the final walk with him to the White House. I could use all the help in the world to bring all of this to light. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Nadia Stone
www.intothelightwalk.com”

How I looked after reading Nadia's letter.