All of the Sweaters

This is me: Devin-Norelle an androgynous identifying, person of trans- masculine experience. My body, my transition, my passing privilege is desirable among many. But I AM NOT what trans looks like. I am not other trans/gnc folks who have no desire for hormones, or surgery.

I am not the person who lacks the opportunity to obtain hormones or will never be capable of embodying certain passing privileges. I am sometimes not the non-passing gender-fluid person who is harassed on the street because of their ambiguity.

I am not a representation of all trans folx, nor will I ever be.

The trans masculine community & some of it’s visible leaders are sometimes so enthralled by cisgender conforming standards. We tend to celebrate one prosaic representation: masculine bodies, men with visible beards,and folx that pass. But the trajectory of our individual lives, & our actual lived experiences are indefinite; each of us eclipses these materialistic standards.

My shero @lavernecox said, “We need diverse media representations of trans folks to multiply trans narratives in the media and depict our beautiful diversities.” I’d like to add the inclusion of diversity isn’t limited to just the media. Following in the footsteps of Laverne and Janet, trans-masc leaders can do more to acknowledge the abundance of gender identities &  expressions Let’s transition the conversation. Uplift the narratives of those who don’t fit the definition of “normal.” Reject exclusionary dialogue of identities. It is easy to blend in. It takes strength to stand up in solidarity with folx who have no voice or lost their voice in death because they were not deemed acceptable.

Normalize non-conforming beauty standards. Include more representation for the disability community. Bring more attention to femme, trans femme & AMAB folx who are constantly victims of violence. Discuss how trans-masculine folx can elevate trans-fem folx. Hold dialogue about the shortage of hormones, especially of estrogen, & how this is violence.

Lets celebrate our diversity. Let’s celebrate our lives. Let’s celebrate our beauty. Let’s celebrate striving to be our most authentic selves, regardless of the path taken or not taken.

This^ IS what Trans look like. We are trans men. We are trans women. We are gender non-conforming. We are bigender. We are agender. We are of different ethnicities and racial backgrounds. We exists in all shapes in sizes. Our gender presentations may vary, our identities are fluid, our expressions are unique, but we are all beautiful. “Trans people are exactly who they say they are, no matter what the culture or media would lead us to believe.” -@JanetMock

This too is what trans looks likes. Often times, trans is a story of sorrow, loss, pain and suffering. Many Trans women of color (TWOC) have lost their lives at the hands of others simply for living their truth. Their deaths are daily reminders that trans lives are not valued. Trans Women of Color in particular are subjected to such violence because they are black (or POC), are often times living below poverty, do not have access to certain health care that would help them pass, or are victims of transmisogyny (transphobia + sexism). 

Several women have been killed because because of the false stereotype that they are gay men attempting to deceive straight men. The alarming rates of their deaths is also evidence that the most marginalized people of society are discriminated against for their existence. 19 Trans people have died this year, including 14 Trans women of color. The women above were killed during the summer of 2016. The deaths of these beautiful people become more difficult to read about each time, but their narratives are part of our truth  and must be told. 

#SayTheirNames (Above) Rest in Power Rae'Lynn Thomas, Erykah Tijernia, Skyee Mockabee, Dee Whigham, Deeniquia Dodds, Goddess Diamond, Mercedes Successful, Tyreece ‘Reecey’ Walker.

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AMAB: Assigned male at birth. (sources linked)

Trans Feminine refers to anyone with a feminine-of-center identity, especially those not assigned female at birth. This includes male-to-female transwomen, feminine-identified genderqueers, and others whose fabulousness cannot be defined.  (source linked)

Trans Masculine refers to anyone with a masculine-of-center identity, especially those not assigned male at birth. This includes female-to-male transmen, masculine-identified genderqueers, and others whose fabulousness cannot be defined. (source linked)

Needless to say, I think this is not a nice way to treat an armadillo, particularly if this armadillo has been polite enough to tolerate being poked with a stick without biting someone, so every few months, I go over and break it up. “Y’all, is that the armadillo that lives around here?” I ask wearily as I walk over.  “C’mon, let ‘em be, that’s a wild animal, and you shouldn’t bother wild animals.” “Why?” one of the stick-wielding boys asks. Being more than a bit of a tree-hugging hippie, I say, “Because they are part of our ecosystem and have lives of their own and deserve our respect.” “Well, yeah, but why?” the boy retorts with a smirk.

I reply, “That should be reason enough all by itself, but wild animals can also carry diseases, so you should leave them alone.” “Like what?” the kid demands. Being a good med student, I blurt, “Like leprosy, that’s what!  Armadillos carry it in their paws!” “What’s leprosy?” one of the other kids asks. I open my mouth to ask them why they don’t know what leprosy is, haven’t they read or watched….? This is when I realize that the only time I can recall reading about leprosy was when I was studying for Step 2, possibly in Step Up to Medicine.  As I am standing there with my dog, staring down a pack of tweens in the dusky late twilight of our common area, I am quite certain I knew about leprosy before my third year of med school, but all I can think about is leprosy lives in the paws of armadillos, it attacks places like fingers and noses first because it is temperature-sensitive and those areas are relatively cool (presumably this is why it lives in armadillos’ paws, aside from how armadillos seem to be able to carry it and not get sick from it in the first place), the treatment is rifampin and dapsone, and add something else (maybe it starts with a c?) if it’s a drug-resistant strain, and rifampin can turn sweat and tears reddish-orange and also cause liver toxicity so monitor a patient’s LFTs closely.

Steven Onoja & Denny Balmaceda

my mom will embroider anything i send her a picture of

Acclaimed Native American historian Joseph Medicine Crow dies at 102