After months of speculation, gossip, rumors, and various other manners of conveying information that may or may not be true, Bruce Jenner announced that he is transitioning into a woman.
And, then the world erupted.
Some people erupted in support of Bruce’s decision to be the person he’s always been. Some erupted about how great Diane Sawyer’s interview was.
Then, there were those totally losing their shit because they think a man transitioning into a woman is deviant. I’m going to talk about the latter. Let me pause here to say that I’m using male pronouns to refer to Bruce, because that’s how he described himself in the interview.
Most people have always been comfortable being the gender they were born with. I’m one of them. Save for a few years when I was a tomboy as a kid, I always enjoyed being a girl, and as an adult, I’ve always enjoyed being a woman. There hasn’t been a day of my life that I’ve ever wanted to be a man. But, I know that not everyone feels the same way. I know that there are women trapped in a man’s body, and men trapped in a woman’s body. For them, not having their physical body match their mental and emotional body, to put it awkwardly, is difficult.
I have a friend who’s transgender. She hasn’t had an operation, and she still dresses as a man more than she does a woman, but she’s a woman. Even when she’s dressed as her male persona, she’s as much of a woman as I am. I just happened to be born with the right bits.
So, why does anyone care if someone wants to be a different gender? Why does it matter if Bruce Jenner wants to transition to a woman? It should only matter to Bruce and his family. No one else should get a say in what he does. It’s nobody else’s business. That’s what kills me about the group of people who are losing their shit about him being transgender. They don’t currently know, nor are they ever going to meet, Bruce Jenner. They will never even catch a glimpse of him. So, why does it matter? There are truly horrific things going on in the world that are worth getting upset about. Can’t people save their energy for those things?
I hope that the reason people are appalled by the idea of transgenderism is that they don’t understand it. I hope that with increased honest conversations, and more transgender people, like Bruce, being open about their transition, people will begin to understand. And, with that understanding, I hope people are able to accept that not everyone is like them.
I hope that people are able to realize that transgender people aren’t sitting around judging the rest of us for physically remaining the gender we were born with. All they’re doing is trying to get to that same place. Instead of berating them, let’s encourage them, support them and most of all, treat them with the kindness they deserve.
Rachel Birdsell is a freelance writer and graphic artist. You can reach her at rabirdsell@gmail.com
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
Rachel Birdsell
Curious Crow
After months of speculation, gossip, rumors, and various other manners of conveying information that may or may not be true, Bruce Jenner announced that he is transitioning into a woman.
And, then the world erupted.
Some people erupted in support of Bruce’s decision to be the person he’s always been. Some erupted about how great Diane Sawyer’s interview was.
Then, there were those totally losing their shit because they think a man transitioning into a woman is deviant. I’m going to talk about the latter. Let me pause here to say that I’m using male pronouns to refer to Bruce, because that’s how he described himself in the interview.
Most people have always been comfortable being the gender they were born with. I’m one of them. Save for a few years when I was a tomboy as a kid, I always enjoyed being a girl, and as an adult, I’ve always enjoyed being a woman. There hasn’t been a day of my life that I’ve ever wanted to be a man. But, I know that not everyone feels the same way. I know that there are women trapped in a man’s body, and men trapped in a woman’s body. For them, not having their physical body match their mental and emotional body, to put it awkwardly, is difficult.
I have a friend who’s transgender. She hasn’t had an operation, and she still dresses as a man more than she does a woman, but she’s a woman. Even when she’s dressed as her male persona, she’s as much of a woman as I am. I just happened to be born with the right bits.
So, why does anyone care if someone wants to be a different gender? Why does it matter if Bruce Jenner wants to transition to a woman? It should only matter to Bruce and his family. No one else should get a say in what he does. It’s nobody else’s business. That’s what kills me about the group of people who are losing their shit about him being transgender. They don’t currently know, nor are they ever going to meet, Bruce Jenner. They will never even catch a glimpse of him. So, why does it matter? There are truly horrific things going on in the world that are worth getting upset about. Can’t people save their energy for those things?
I hope that the reason people are appalled by the idea of transgenderism is that they don’t understand it. I hope that with increased honest conversations, and more transgender people, like Bruce, being open about their transition, people will begin to understand. And, with that understanding, I hope people are able to accept that not everyone is like them.
I hope that people are able to realize that transgender people aren’t sitting around judging the rest of us for physically remaining the gender we were born with. All they’re doing is trying to get to that same place. Instead of berating them, let’s encourage them, support them and most of all, treat them with the kindness they deserve.
Rachel Birdsell is a freelance writer and graphic artist. You can reach her at rabirdsell@gmail.com