This is an opinionative post so if you're a person that is highly offended, maybe this article isn't for you. I want to discuss something very specific that I experienced and hopefully elaborate on it in a positive manner. A professor I've had is a transgender individual. However, this was never really noticeable. I never went into her classroom, expecting to be freaked out that this was a "man" in front of me. There was one day, as a writer, when I went into the lecture with a very analytical approach. I wanted to try to place myself in her shoes. She went about her daily routine and maybe on this day, my brain was working different but I had an immense sense of admiration.
Admiration, you ask. Yes, admiration. I admire her strength. I admire the strength of every individual in the LGBT community. It would be easy. It would be so easy to just give in, to satisfy what society seems as "normal". She could have given up at any point in her life. She could have looked at herself in the mirror and just said, "F*ck it." But she didn't. And to this day, doesn't. Can you even imagine the strength someone needs to come out and openly present him or herself as different? Especially when that "different" carries a negative stigma?
I thought about how much hatred she's endured in her life. I thought about all the people that refused to understand and spit vile repulsive comments. I thought about how just this one individual of the LGBT community endured so much pain due to the inability for the collective to just have acceptance. Isn't that sad? Humans are known to display animosity to things they cannot understand. We as humans resort to anger and violence in times of confusion. With that being said, wouldn't you feel a sense of admiration for someone standing in front of a classroom of 30 plus students every day, that knows all the history behind her life choice and she still stands proudly?
I've come to a strange point in my life where I don't want to live a regretful life. I don't want to make decisions that I will regret. Living a life with narrow guidelines seems to be the most common and hopeless life. What I ask is that you think about how each and every person has his or her own story. And that there is always more than meets the eye.
I am very thankful that my professor stands proud and I am thankful that I chose to seek acceptance and understanding over a refusal of interest.
We're such amazing species. We have endless possibilities and many of us can make our lives however we want. All I ask is that you adapt the current times. It's 2016, and we really need to find some peaceful resolutions within our communities or we will not prevail. We are all the same, we just happened to not be able to choose our rental bodies. Spread the love. Spread the positivity. Set the bar for the younger generations.
I thank every individual out there giving the finger to society. You are my inspiration for writing. I write for you.
