Living Proof

There are so many topics that are within the 'one' topic of transgenderism. There are even "dos" and "don'ts" out there on the internet in case you happen to be in the company of someone who happens to be transgender -- like don't misuse pronouns (him, her, she, his, etc.) -- and never (ever-ever-ever-ever) call a transgender person a "tranny". This word was adopted by the porn industry and connotes a sexual seediness to it. And like the label "transgender" comes the label, "cisgender" which many people have no clue what it means. It basically means born by birth gender. So I'm a cisgendered woman for example. The other important factor to remember as I've learned over the years is to never question their genitalia, because it doesn't matter. If they are a transgendered woman or man, genitalia does not define them. Their identity alone defines them. But still, people usually go by the details of their sexua...

Empathy. That's what society is lacking. The word itself encompasses not only compassion, but the ability to feel what others are feeling, or just the effort of understanding other people's struggles. What I have learned over the years is that religion itself can remove empathy. I'll never forget back in 1997 when Christians told me I was going to hell just for being a lesbian. I couldn't believe this because I thought God was an "all loving God" and that Christianity was accepting, tolerant, patient and kind -- all of the things Corinthians speaks about regarding love. They called me horrible names and made me feel extremely alienated. They actually made me feel "hated" by God. But on my journey in discovery God more -- discovering Jesus more -- I learned a valuable lesson: Jesus is the one who is accepting, tolerant, patient, loving and kind. Some of the members of his fan club are not. They are nothing like Jesus. In fact, when I come across th...

There are many things in life that require courage, strength and bravery. In fact, I believe every single person on this planet faces some sort of adversity, struggle and cross to bear that requires faith and of course, determination. And without that determination to press on and crush the obstacles ahead of you, then it's all just meaningless. We live in a time when being gay, lesbian or transgender is much more accepted than it was back in the eighties. "Coming out" isn't such a huge shocker anymore, unless your family and friends' "gaydar" was struck by lightening. But even so, family, friends and maybe even coworkers sometimes seem oblivious to someone's 'hint' of homosexuality or transgenderism, merely passing it off as "soft-spoken" (for a male) or a little "rough-around-the-edges" (if it's a woman). Or as my wife puts it, "femme with an edge". Gotta love the LGBT's terminology. I can only sp...

As much as we should be understanding to our transgender community, in return, understanding for the unexposed has to be given too. There's a huge difference between being bigoted and downright rude, as opposed to being curious and inquisitive about the unknown. There are even "rules" about what to ask a transgender person for people who have never come across transsexualism. Given the fact that nobody should ever ask anyone of any gender details of their genitalia -- there has to be some level of unspoken and obvious truths. Nobody seems to care about the 800 lb gorilla in the room. That's exactly how it feels to someone who has never been exposed to the transgender community. So if you want to educate society (to which some believe they should educate themselves, which would be wonderful in a perfect world) -- then why are we super sensitive when asked an obvious question that is clearly driven by basic human curiosity? A transgender medical student named, Han...