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I think I found my own words

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by wandering i, Apr 28, 2013.

  1. wandering i

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    I am always trying to find the right words to say in preparation for the day I tell my parents. I hope it's ok for me to share these thoughts with you guys.

    All of my life I have tried to understand what it is to be a man, and to be a good one. Without brothers, schoolyard bullies, or a father to teach me, I have had to accumulate these ideals on my own. I have always quietly struggled to be manlier, a lonely effort quietly locked in my head. It is only recently in my life that I understood I have tried so hard, but the solution was much easier than I realized.
    The changes that I must go through physically and legally, are far greater than what you will go through, but you will need to go through transition with me if you want to remain a part of my life. I will remain the boy, the man I have always been, and you will need to see that. I will do everything I can to help you with this. My appearance and voice will change. My name will change. But who I am will not change at all, and if you love me, you will find a way to overcome your own hang ups and learn that it's really not such a big change at all.​
    Maybe it will be hard for you. It has been awful for me. If you have some criticisms bubbling in your subconscious, giving you the unspoken feeling, "transsexuals are freaks or liars" or "Genitals are the bottom line, and without perfectly functioning sex organs, one sex can never be considered another". Believe me when I tell you these thoughts have been iron walls barring my vision for over thirteen years. I understand there are some things you may want to tell me because you love me and are concerned for my wellbeing, but please be aware that some of what you might want to say may be abusive, and I would rather be on my own than abused.​
    If you tell me to stop transitioning for any reason, you are telling me that I do not know myself or what is right for me, and you are belittling the suffering and effort I have gone through to study and understand my situation, both through introspection and personal observation, and engaging myself with comprehensive medical and social research.
    If you tell me that I am making a mistake because the world will not accept me, or that I am putting myself in danger, first of all, your voice has become one of those that does not accept, that tells me and other trans people that we should hide away, paralyzed in pain and self loathing. Second, it is unnecessary and cruel to remind me of knowledge I must find the strength to cope with every day. I know that I may be discriminated against, abused, or in danger because of who I am. But I am still willing to take that risk. That's how sweet and important the promise of living as a man is to me.​
    I do not want anything but the chance to have what cis people have. I want to be seen and recognized as my sex without having to correct, explain, or educate. I want to be able to live my life without being so obsessed over my physical appearance and how others receive me that I can't function, be myself, or live my life. I have spent my entire life trying to figure out how to do that alone as a female and painful feelings I couldn't understand only grew and deepened. Changing my name, changing my appearance, and being around people who love and accept me regardless of what is in my pants or my gender, by comparison, is painless and simple. Having my chest cut open, injecting myself with syringes for the rest of my life, and facing the bigotry of the world looks like easy mode to me compared to how I have been living. If you are cis, you may never understand how I feel. But maybe you can understand how severe this is to me and other trans people, and overcome your biases long enough to have a heart.​
     
  2. Aielar

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    Wow, this is a really great letter, wandering i. When you're ready, it's definitely worth sharing with your parents. Well done on writing this very eloquent letter :slight_smile:

    I'm not sure if you were looking for any suggestions - if so, I don't have any.
     
  3. OutwardSmiles

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    This was... Probably the single most amazing thing I have ever read. I'm not even sure what else I can say. Good luck telling your parents!