We left the US for Mexico in January. I didn't tell most of my friends and work contacts why we moved, just said we had an "urgent family situation." I have quite a bit of survivor's guilt as I watch families if trans kids dealing with so much discrimination and fear in the states. Meanwhile, my kids' meds are available over the counter here. They are adapting to life here and it's going pretty well. It was excruciatingly hard (not to mention costly) moving, but I would do it again in a heartbeat for them.
An exquisite piece of trans writing, weaving together past and present and including members of our community young and older. It is challenging to articulate the profound experience shared across generations and socioeconomic circumstances by our broadly diverse group, but you have represented it well. I'm not convinced a cis person could absorb the lesson here, but that's why I appreciate it. Truly the most impactful essay I've encountered since the decision. Thank you.
Thank you for your work. As the parent of a trans child with an unsupportive co-parent, I spend every day affirming his identity and fighting for him to use his name in public and telling him that only he knows who he is and it’s not up to anyone else. I knew I’d spend every day until his 18th birthday fighting his father for his right to exist, but now I know I’ll probably spend the rest of our lives fighting the state. Even in Massachusetts, it all feels so bleak. And yet we persist. Of course we do. What choice do we have?
So impactful and well said. You have captured so many thoughts, ideas, and experiences in a single essay. I find it hard to digest in one sitting so after multiple readings, I have printed this out to be able to pick up and read the parts that pop up randomly through the day. I am sharing this with anyone I can. Thank you for diving back into the queer community and making a difference for all these years!
I had a young college student saddle up to me at our neighbor's Memorial Day party needing support. What they saw in me: a pillar in our community, two grown boys and a partner of going on four decades, active in MDC DSA's bodily autonomy work, and I have facilitated adult peer support for many years. This and a good many other interactions with young trans peeps have made me reconsider my hands off position and this piece helps me in that inner dialog, so tyty.
That is so well written I had to stop and stare at the wall. I knew a couple of people who were subjected to shock treatments in the 60s - they were the brightest and most creative people I knew, but they were different, so they had to be “fixed”. The insecure and average in civilization want the ‘different ones’ removed - their existence threatens authority and fragile beliefs based on myth. The paradox is, without the different ones, our species doesn’t evolve, which means… you can’t finish it.
We left the US for Mexico in January. I didn't tell most of my friends and work contacts why we moved, just said we had an "urgent family situation." I have quite a bit of survivor's guilt as I watch families if trans kids dealing with so much discrimination and fear in the states. Meanwhile, my kids' meds are available over the counter here. They are adapting to life here and it's going pretty well. It was excruciatingly hard (not to mention costly) moving, but I would do it again in a heartbeat for them.
Thank you for this keen and powerful essay.
An exquisite piece of trans writing, weaving together past and present and including members of our community young and older. It is challenging to articulate the profound experience shared across generations and socioeconomic circumstances by our broadly diverse group, but you have represented it well. I'm not convinced a cis person could absorb the lesson here, but that's why I appreciate it. Truly the most impactful essay I've encountered since the decision. Thank you.
Thank you for your work. As the parent of a trans child with an unsupportive co-parent, I spend every day affirming his identity and fighting for him to use his name in public and telling him that only he knows who he is and it’s not up to anyone else. I knew I’d spend every day until his 18th birthday fighting his father for his right to exist, but now I know I’ll probably spend the rest of our lives fighting the state. Even in Massachusetts, it all feels so bleak. And yet we persist. Of course we do. What choice do we have?
So impactful and well said. You have captured so many thoughts, ideas, and experiences in a single essay. I find it hard to digest in one sitting so after multiple readings, I have printed this out to be able to pick up and read the parts that pop up randomly through the day. I am sharing this with anyone I can. Thank you for diving back into the queer community and making a difference for all these years!
I had a young college student saddle up to me at our neighbor's Memorial Day party needing support. What they saw in me: a pillar in our community, two grown boys and a partner of going on four decades, active in MDC DSA's bodily autonomy work, and I have facilitated adult peer support for many years. This and a good many other interactions with young trans peeps have made me reconsider my hands off position and this piece helps me in that inner dialog, so tyty.
That is so well written I had to stop and stare at the wall. I knew a couple of people who were subjected to shock treatments in the 60s - they were the brightest and most creative people I knew, but they were different, so they had to be “fixed”. The insecure and average in civilization want the ‘different ones’ removed - their existence threatens authority and fragile beliefs based on myth. The paradox is, without the different ones, our species doesn’t evolve, which means… you can’t finish it.
Thank you for writing this. Really, thanks SO much.