While working through this series I was surprised by how difficult it was to get at the heart of my own thoughts on these matters. I was more comfortable when my opinions were private. Putting them down on paper for all to see and critique raised my heart rate more than a few times. Each part gave me pause. "Is this really how I feel? Do I really want to say this if I'm so ambivalent?" Decidedly yes. Wrestling with these issues feels a bit like being on a seesaw, and that is precisely why I think I should share my thoughts about them. Surely there are plenty of people out there who wrestle as I do, even as a trans person. Perhaps others will feel a bit more free to do the same.
I believe there is something unique about this topic that urges all of us to come together to support, comfort, and challenge one another. It goes beyond the camps where we pitch our tents. It is not a moral or religious issue. Nor is it a political or academic one. It is about our humanity, our lived experience, and how we treat others. Making comparisons or throwing books at one other doesn't change a thing. It just adds to the othering that we've come to rely on when we are pushed beyond something we don't understand.
As I've asked in different ways throughout the series—can we pause, can we take a beat, can we take another’s hand and look each other in the eye and ask "How are you? Is there anything I can help you with?" I have to ask myself, when was the last time I asked anyone that question and really meant it?
