Trans Rights

Alabama has moved to ban healthcare for trans youth. Mobilized, ratified bigotry. It's Monday.

It makes me think about all of the LGBT role models, friends and mentors who have given me such kindness throughout my whole life.

I thought about a friend who recently came out to me as a trans man. It wasn't really "to me," in the personal, private way my mostly straight world mind has understood coming out.

He was casual as could be, 10 seconds into joining me publicly on an Instagram Live. It was cool.

Anyway. He shared a post today. It was the link to the Alabama news, peppered with captions pleading to his straight friends to say something, anything about the rising fascism endangering more kids.

He addressed the fear quirky gentle straight allies, myself included, carry. What holds someone back from acting, or even spreading a message in solidarity?

Fear of taking a stand for our friends, for the right side of history? Cowardice.

Fear of being perceived by closeminded people as something I'm not. Fear of learning anything about myself. Fear of empathy changing me in a way for which I don't feel ready.

Fear of disturbing my own comfort zone when it's easier to just sigh and shake my head at bad news. Enough.

What chance do I stand in evolving to emulate my creative heroes if I won't allow myself to practice speaking on what's important?

It's a privilege, the gross kind, to have and maintain the choice to hang on the sidelines for fear of clumsiness. Until I'm _________ enough to act with confidence in solidarity. Once again, too late!