crossposting from facebook
It’s time for a PSA.
I have a lot of opinions.
And guess what? I don’t expect you to agree with them. Because they’re opinions. In fact, if you disagree with me SO much that you don’t want to talk to me anymore, I will not hold it against you, nor will I think any less of you.
So I need to make a few things clear.
I do not hate men, or cis people, or straight people, or any of that stuff. That gets me nowhere. You know what I do hate? I hate the fact that I’m excluded, for being none of those things. I feel unwelcome. And feeling unwelcome can make someone feel bitter, especially when those who are supposed to be your allies; the other people in your own group… make you feel like you don’t belong.
As an extension of that, I didn’t know other trans women for a while. But honestly? A lot of you didn’t, either. So for a while, I’ve felt like the token. That was my gimmick—“the trans girl cosplayer”. There were times (and there still are) where I don’t feel like a person. I just feel like a thing.
Honestly, going back to the initial point just… make us feel welcome, okay? It’s a tough world out there for us, and in places that SHOULD be safe for us, like say, conventions, are sometimes even worse than the “real world”. I get little to no shit out in public, but once I’m at a con, I’ll hear horrible shit like “You look just like a GENUINE GIRL” or “Nice crossplay” or “Are you a boy or a girl?”. That’s not okay.
Everybody in the world has problems. Some are big, some are small. But none are more important than others. However, the amount of systemic problems one will face increase with the more “default” labels you peel away: cis, white, male, straight, able-bodied, etc etc, and if you have at least one of those labels, you need to be a bit more sympathetic towards those who don’t. Sometimes people in the non-default groups get angry. It happens. Just try to think about where they’re coming from, okay?
