No Ordinary Exchange

if you feel a sob or tear

1. Yesterday, November 20th, was Transgender Day of Remembrance. Transgender Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester's death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. For 2020, GLAAD spotlights the following victims in America, many of whom are transgender women of color (and they further note that violent crimes against trans people are often misreported, go underreported, or are not reported at all): Yunieski Carey Herrera, Angel Unique, Sara Blackwood, Brooklyn Deshuna, Felycya Harris, Michelle Michellyn Ramos Vargas, Mia Green, Aerrion Burnett, Kee Sam, Lea Rayshon Daye, Aja Raquell Rhone-Spears, Queasha D Hardy, Dior H Ova / Tiffany Harris, Marilyn Cazares, Summer Taylor, Bree Black, Shaki Peters, Merci Mack, Brayla Stone, Brian 'Egypt' Powers, Selena Reyes-Hernandez, Jayne Thompson, Riah Milton, Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells, Tony McDade, Helle Jae O'Regan, Nina Pop, Penélope Díaz Ramírez, Layla Pelaez Sánchez, Serena Angelique Velázquez Ramos, Johanna Metzger, Lexi, Monika Diamond, Scott/Scottlynn Devore, Yampi Méndez Arocho, Neulisa Luciano Ruiz, and Dustin Parker. We remember their names, and we continue to fight for transgender rights across the globe. (Information condensed from GLAAD.)

In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, I would like to remind y'all that three of my major OCs are trans - Professor Nguyen is agender (they/them pronouns), Dominic is a trans man (he/him pronouns), and Emilé is nonbinary (they/them pronouns). Mx. Irene, whom I mentioned in the Halloween chapter, is also nonbinary (xe/xem pronouns). While my story is obviously fictional and lighthearted, violence against trans individuals is a very real and very major issue, so I encourage you guys to take a few minutes out of your weekend to research and see what you personally can do to support the trans community. With that, I hope you enjoy the chapter! (I know I say this every time, lmao, but I think this chapter is one of my favorites.)

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Callum could not thermoregulate. Sometimes he questioned if he was the first cold-blooded mammal, because the second the temperature dropped below 50, he had to bundle up in seven layers or else he'd freeze to death before two minutes passed. Which made it an even funnier twist of fate that his girlfriend was practically a walking space heater. Rayla had once joked that she could change the temperature of a room just by standing in it. Or rather, he'd thought she was joking at the time, but he had since determined that not only had she been dead serious, but what she'd said was true. It didn't seem humanly possible, and yet there she was, radiating warmth like a nuclear power plant.

Regardless, it was because of Callum's inability to thermoregulate that he had on several extra layers as he sat on a bench outside of Acadian Hall waiting for Rayla to complete her women's and gender studies final. His scarf was wrapped around his neck and pulled up over his chin. A thermos of steaming tea rested beside him. He refused to succumb to the cold.

That said, Callum was starting to regret not going inside the building to wait. He just hadn't wanted to risk striking up a conversation with someone he didn't know or only knew in passing. At least outside he could have his headphones in while he studied for his philosophy exam and thus no one would disturb him.

Well, people would be less likely to disturb him.

Callum hoped, at least.

He and Rayla each had one final left to take, both the next day. It would have been two, but since Professor Nguyen had changed their Renaissance History final, they - and Sonya - had turned in their required reflections earlier that week. He knew Claudia still had three exams to go, which she was not happy about, especially because the final two were both on Friday, more importantly known as opening night of Macbeth. She'd tried to arrange it to where she could take those exams early, but her professors had refused, and apparently had been pretty rude in doing so, too.