Transgender Reflections:
What others see of themselves in your mirror.
When family and friends become aware that you are transgender, reactions vary from acceptance to outright rejection. It is such a person-by-person reaction.
It is a battle of acceptance versus rejection.
The best is acceptance. There is an explosion of internal joy every time it happens to me. I feel a new bond with that person. Many times the person thanks me for trusting them and it reminds me that being transgender in the current world is still looked at as a “dirty secret”.
Regardless, every new ally is another candle lit in the darkness created by gender ignorance. They now begin to understand the humanity of being transgender. The concept is no longer abstract.
They now personally know someone who is transgender.
The dark side is rejection, even just the fear of rejection, ignites my sense of doubt, guilt, and self-criticism. Being forced to question myself again is a bitter experience. Rejection takes on different forms. It can be an angry end to a relationship, a recognizable coldness or the sense of being kept at a polite arms-distance.
But when they look at you, what do they really see?
