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19/10/2017 0 Comments Privilege and TransitionI have been thinking about privilege a lot lately and how it has affected my transition. Here are some of my thought.
I am white. That wasn’t a choice that was mine to make, much like being transgender wasn’t a choice. For better or worse, that has gotten me a lot of privilege that I have never really had to think about. I find it strange that we have these boundaries based on the colors of our skins. It has never made much sense to me. Maybe it’s because I have always known on some level that I was in a minority too, or maybe I was just brought up “right”. I don’t know. I have an amazing relationship with my wife, my family and my friends. I feel that I am extremely fortunate in that. So many of my transgender brothers and sisters lose everything and have to find a support structure. I had that from day one. It is a privilege that I am more than happy to have. I hope having that has helped me be a supportive friend for those that need it. I also seem to have a fair amount of "passing" privilege. I have a full head of hair, my skeletal structure is very thin and oddly I think my large head also helps me pass. Because of the size on my head, my neck looks fairly thin. I will take it. I was pretty much able to pass from day one. In the last year, I have only been mis-gendered twice by strangers. It has also been pretty easy for me to tweak my voice to sound more feminine. Having a good job and exceptional health care is a privilege that I am also grateful for. My insurance covers pretty much any service I want or need. Far to many of my friends are stuck paying for their care out of pocket. I wish that everyone was as lucky as me. Living in Minneapolis, MN is one of the biggest privileges I think I have. We have so many trans services available to us. It is also extremely progressive as far as transgender laws go too. I would recommend living here to anyone. I hope this doesn't sound like I am bragging about all of these privileges. I feel so exceptionally lucky to have them. I wish I could grant everyone the same opportunities I have had.
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