It’s so hard to be trans.
I’m going on a vacation to the Mark Twain Museum this weekend. The hotel we’re staying at has a pool. I think you can see where this is going.
We’re packing at 9 pm about 21 hours before we leave, so obviously we can’t go to the store. My mom thinks that the whole reason I don’t want to wear a swimsuit is my stomach, which I used to be super self conscious about. Since I found out that men usually carry more weight in their stomachs than anywhere else, I’ve been less concerned about it. She knows that I’m transgender, but she still thinks that’s the whole reason.
She had me try on this one swimsuit she got off of SHEIN. It was basically a bikini with some loose fabric covering the stomach with holes on the sides. I stared in the mirror and just started crying. I haven’t cried out of pure dysphoria for at least a year, I used to like being trans in a weird way. I had something that made me unique and special! But I’m so hecking over it. I’m over my pronouns being messed up, I’m tired of my protests against toxic masculinity by wearing makeup and dresses just viewed as me “being a girl”, I’m so tired of my counselor telling me I’m confusing people by doing just that. I stopped wearing dresses and makeup, it’s to hard to look at myself when I do. I’m so tired of not knowing my own name. I want to have access to the little things most guys don’t even have to think about like proper non-single-stalled bathrooms, boxers, ability to produce testosterone, and proper swimsuits! It’s so painful to mention being transgender to someone, find out they thought you were cis, get excited, and have them start calling you a girl and seeing you different. It’s so unfair.
If you know a trans guy, let him know how amazing and handsome he is. Let him know that he is valid and loved and accepted for who he is. (Same goes for calling trans girls pretty.)
Thank you for listening to my Ted talk and goodnight.