Saturday, October 21, 2017

It's morning in Colorado, and I've been thinking

Hello World!

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything, this is not because I don’t have anything to say, but rather because I feel so overwhelmed by the noise and hatred that seems to populate the world.

I’ve been out as a transgender woman for about three years now; this is the first time that I am concerned. Don’t get me wrong; I have never had a bad experience as a trans woman in public. Aside from a few stares and questioning looks nothing. I am the exception, and I know it. I have come to expect that every time I leave the house, I am going to be accosted in some way. That is the sad part in all this; it’s not the act that’s the problem it’s the fear and anticipation of the act that affects me. When I sit alone in a restaurant or coffee shop, I anticipate that someone will make a snide or hurtful comment. I go to the grocery store, and every glance is a potential attack.
This has led me to the point of questioning the wisdom of being out. Could I have continued to live a closeted trans woman? Or would I have taken the path of 40% of us and attempted to take my life? I know, for me, regardless of how hateful society has become, I made the right decision. I chose to live my life a toe person I truly am, and no one can take that from me.

So, let’s get back to that fear. If you know a transgender person or even know of a transgender person, let them know that you are not their enemy. You don’t need to be their friend, but just showing them that you are willing to leave them in peace, helps immensely to reduce the stress of not conforming to societal norms. If you have questions, ask. We don’t bite, and if we don’t want to talk about something, we’ll let you know. What’s under our clothes is our business, just like what’s under your clothes is your business, If we’re not going to get naked and sweaty together, neither of us needs to know the other’s particulars.

Oh, and as a reminder, being transgender is not a mental illness, it is a condition where the person you are when you close your eyes is not the person you see when you open your eyes and look in the mirror. There are a number of different ways that I can justify my Knowledge of my true gender. There are brain autopsies that show that the brains of transgender individuals are structurally like those of the gender that they identify with. There are a number of different studies that show that being transgender is something you are born with. When you get right down to it though, none of that matters, what matters is that I am living an authentic existence as a woman.


One last thing, if you have a question of me, ask. I am not afraid to talk about my experience.

Hugs and Kisses,

Vicki

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