trans

Trans: Trans is a Latin noun or prefix, meaning "across", "beyond" or "on the opposite side"

I will now make a confession: The word, or prefix, TRANS has mostly meant nothing to me in my lifetime. Nothing except stuff related to Sibera. But that has changed in recent months, for the better. Just when you think you know a few things, turns out you don't know much!

I have been following and pondering the journey of Bruce Jenner as a transgender person. And now, there is talk of Rachel Dolezal and Racial Identity. Transgender? Transracial? These are the classes I avoided in college, thinking they were just too...indulgent for someone practical like me. "I'm not racist, and I'm a woman, so therefore, I don't need to focus on things like this," I thought. I was somewhat familiar with men or woman who dressed like the opposite gender, but I never gave it any thought past, "Hmm, that's different, I don't know about that. Whatever." "That one Hilary Swank movie was hard to watch."

I asked some friends recently if they saw the TV interview or read any articles about Bruce Jenner. Most, actually all, other people I asked said something like, "No. Whatever he wants to do is fine, but I don't really care." That sounded so familiar to me and what I used to say. I did watch the interview and read the article, and my eyes were so opened to what it is like to be a person, who can't be themselves, because of other people's lack of care, compassion, and understanding. What if you felt like a completely different person than what looked back at you in the mirror? Really think about that. It's hard to imagine for most of us. Most struggle to be more like our true selves, without the fear of hate crimes, being fired, shunned, or divorced from our communities. The biggest risk is someone un-Friending us. This segment of the population is absolutely tortured, their entire lives, because of how they were born and who they identify to be. Imagine the pain and frustration!

Perhaps it's time to care. I identify as a white, college educated, left-leaning, blonde, urban, heterosexual, dutch, Virgo woman, whose family is really nice. And it turns out, that is what I look like (except for the blonde thing!?), and that is how society deals with me. It's pretty easy, to be honest. I can get highlights in my hair without judgement. But feeling black or feeling like a man? Being gay? Not so easy and not something anyone in their right mind would just choose. My hope is that we can use these stories, without judgement of right or wrong, good or bad, and be more genuinely loving of people who fly a different flag. Whether they are in their right mind or not, are able to be a nice person or not, I would love it if a person who dressed differently or looked different than 'normal' could be treated as simply another good person instead of being judged before others even know their name or anything about them. This tribalism is so 500 AD, and we must evolve.

So, I'm sorry, to all those who I quickly judge, for any reason. And even if I thought tolerantly to myself, "That's fine, I don't care what they do," I'm sorry for that too. If you are born different, in a trans sort of way, you deserve more than people not caring about you or just tolerating you. You deserve people to care more because that is a difficult hand to be dealt.