Reflecting 🏳️🌈
To my younger self,
First off, I wanted to say a huge thank you for the support I've gotten in writing this blog and sharing my voice. To be honest, I didn't think many were going to listen and relate to a purple-haired, queer kid in the deep South, but here we are. No matter the views, I'm beyond grateful that you're here and fighting. To every kid just like me and every parent supporting kids like me, I love you from the bottom of my heart.
School has always been strange for me: not quite tall enough, not quite fast enough, not quite clever enough. Not quite enough. From the time I entered kindergarten, I embodied the trans cliché though I didn't have the language to understand myself at the time. Pink bedazzled skirts scattered across the floor. Brontosaurus "stuffie" in tow. Always thought about being a boy, but stood proud of my identity as a princess. It was simple for me.
As I got older, this simplicity was dismantled. Boys on the left, girls on the right. Girls taught abstinence and covering up, and boys taught freedom and assertiveness. This was the law of the land. Looking back, I wish I had someone to look up to. Who could show me that queer joy is possible. Queer peace is possible. Queer visibility is something that I will live to become. If someone could've told me just three things, this is what I would've wanted to hear:
Your trans and queer identity is not mutually exclusive with your success and your joy.
Don't be discouraged with every obstacle you face. This world was not made for you, but you're paving the way and that's what matters most.
This will not last forever. I promise. Laugh a little louder. Hold your people closer. Find your people. You're doing so, so amazing, and I'm so proud of you. Existence is resistance.
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