I just saw the picture of a friend — a middle-aged person — who has transitioned to be a woman from a man.
It occurred to me that this likely took her a tremendous amount of courage. And then I realized that perhaps one of the most difficult things we do in life is just be ourselves. It’s been hard enough for me to do this as an average white guy, and I can’t imagine what it must be like for someone who, in order to be themselves, has to become someone that society doesn’t always want them to be.
And I will add, hopefully with some humility, that it was nice to realize that my first reaction to seeing her picture was “Good for you! Well done! You look great!”. That reaction — one that I was pleased to realize happened — is the result of me being the person I’m supposed to be. I say that, because I can tell you that my reaction would have been very different thirty years ago.
Sadly, there are those who still have my reaction from thirty years ago. Maybe you are one of them. If you are, I urge you to think again and to realize that someone being themselves — being exactly who they want to be — is one of their most fundamental, basic rights. You don’t have the right to tell someone that they can’t be who they are and want to be. And if you do think you can tell them that, well, I think that you need to look inside yourself ask yourself why that is.
Anyway, I like to think that the world is becoming a better place every day, one heart at a time.