4 Gender Confessions People Confided in a Trans Girl
You being yourself is a magnet for people’s stories
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One of the coolest things about being yourself? Your openness may invite others to confide in you their stories.
Transgender feelings followed me around since an early age. As I came out, I read autobiographies like Janet Mock’s Redefining Realness. That didn’t make me a PhD in gender identity struggles! I still had a lot to learn.
But because I was now visibly trans and a listener type, I was in for some casual education. Friends, family, and strangers on the web honored me with their gender-related confessions.
I learned just how diverse our experiences of gender are.
Things stopped seeming shocking. Still, having people’s trust was humbling. There’s nothing like firsthand accounts. Being trans gave me a bird’s-eye view into people’s gendered lives, beyond what anonymous blogs could teach.
Here are 4 of the things people told me. (Details changed for privacy.)
1. I would have transitioned
“I would have transitioned,” she said, “if the world were different back then. Before I became set in my identity as Michael.”
In that moment, my view of Michael changed forever.
2013 was when I declared myself transgender. Trans celebrities were trending. I was a student in ASU’s theatre program, where they welcomed us to be wackily ourselves.
I imagined coming of age in the 80s. Entering a traditional field, like Michael had. For longer than I’d been alive, this influential leader in my social circle had wished they were the other sex.
We all knew Michael lived with generosity. With devotion. None of us knew they also lived with gender dysphoria.
No matter who else knows or doesn’t know, I think of Michael as a she. I see it when I look at her, or hear her voice. She likes being seen like that.
If you have gender dysphoria, you don’t have to come out, transition, or define yourself as trans. What we do is our choice. The more our globe blossoms with trans-friendliness and gender inclusivity, choices open up.
