Thank you all...
I totally understand caution toward me. That is expected and respected. What I have seen done to the trans community, done to transgender people, is so horrible.... While shows like Orange Is The New Black take steps toward a fair and honest portrayal, cis privilege and heterosexism still rule the day, giving an open door for Jared Leto to proclaim whatever he thinks even as the media calls out his justified critics as "hecklers".
My heart aches to see an end to so much social injustice in the world. I see it all in terms bell hooks made familiar, and it is a matter of resonance for me, as opposed to "guilt" or "liberalitis". It may help if I share—or I hope it might—something personal. The fact is, I was a social pariah from a young age. When I say I didn't fit in, I mean anywhere. I grew up in an emotionally abusive household, never had regular friends because I was too introverted and anxious around others, and eventually crashed and burned spectacularly in my teens after I was raped. (Please know, I am not looking for sympathy by sharing this. I had plenty of therapy eventually, and I've come to terms with my past over the course of decades. I share this all because it propelled me into the person I am now.)
I cannot say how I might have turned out if life had been "normal" for me. What is, is. But there were plenty of things I kept very private for a very long time, sharing them with only a very few, often enough to my regret.
Being here in this forum now is an open admission. I am not, nor have I ever been, ashamed of my attraction to anyone, nor have I been ashamed of them. I abhor the idea of "otherness" as a pejorative or diminishing concept. I am other, and there's nothing wrong with me, so that must be true of everyone.
Thank you for allowing me this space. I shall respectfully work on earning the trust you may sometime give me, and cherish that trust as a very precious gift.
