I've had some TERFs in my mentions, so I'm going to write a small thread on how embarrassment and self-hatred kept me from transitioning.
-
-
Replying to @e_urq
I didn't know any trans people growing up, or in college, and so my first exposure was hearing about trans people as a political issue.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @e_urq
And, my reaction to learning about trans people was personal embarrassment combined with a need to distance myself from them.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @e_urq
I never found trans people funny myself, but I knew that other people found them funny, and this was painful to me.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @e_urq
I blamed trans people for that pain. I viscerally wanted them to stop hurting me by being the object of ridicule.
2 replies 0 retweets 2 likes -
Replying to @e_urq
In addition to angry, I also felt intensely jealous. "Why do trans people get to transition when I secretly want to transition but can't?"
1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes -
Replying to @e_urq
I held all that inside because I was embarrassed, and I didn't want to be laughed at, and I was ashamed.
1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes -
Replying to @e_urq
The most freeing moment of my life was when I finally had the thought that no one was stopping me from transitioning but me.
1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes -
Replying to @e_urq
I literally stopped dead on the street with the thought "I could just say I was trans and transition. No one could stop me or say I wasn't."
1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes -
Replying to @e_urq
It was many months after that that I decided to go forward, but giving myself permission to just be trans if I was trans was a breakthrough.
1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes
I think it's one that some people don't or can't have. For me, I'm immensely glad my fear of being laughed at wasn't so strong, in the end.
-
-
Replying to @e_urq
Perhaps it's implied, but the greatest fear was of being an imperfect or unconvincing man. An effeminate man, a very short man.
5 replies 0 retweets 3 likes -
Replying to @e_urq
Coincidentally(?), these sorts of things are harped on by TERFs. But they can't hurt me now. I'm short & sometimes effeminate. AND IT'S OKAY
3 replies 0 retweets 2 likes - Show replies
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.