Redefining Realness
I was born into the body I feel that I was supposed to be born into. The thought of looking into the mirror and not seeing the body that reflects me and who I believe I am sounds awful and painful and confusing. I can’t imagine the feeling of not being able to escape the prison of my own flesh.
I don’t need to have first-hand experience of what it feels like to be a transgender person to understand that it is challenging. Our current society dictates that the physicality of a person defines their gender and there is no in-between. In order to feel whole, transgender people often have to go through expensive and life-threatening surgeries just so they can feel comfortable with their own reflection. They are the most under-represented group in the media—and the most misunderstood.
I learned a lot from Janet Mock’s book, Redefining Realness. She shared her path, which was the same path of many people that she knew. So many trans people suffer from abuse, both self-inflicted and inflicted by others. They wear their scars on their hearts and on the bodies that feel foreign to them. Our society continues to evolve towards acceptance of gays and lesbians and yet the trans community is continually left behind. We are all human and we need to do a better job of supporting each other. We need to stand together for equality. We need to be more understanding, more supportive, and more willing to accept people’s struggles and help them overcome them.
It may get better, but we need to be better.