I've been reading about trans children, mostly the happy stories of children who find support from their families and people around them. While they're probably still in the minority, it feels wonderful to know that supporting trans children is a thing now, that there's a cohort of children who can be themselves and grow up without getting beaten into an impossible mold. I grieve for the children who still in this day and age don't get that support, but I rejoice in those who do.
And I feel grateful for those who went before and struggled and suffered to make this a world those children can live and breathe in.
But it occurs to me that I am also a beneficiary of their efforts and sacrifices. I may be, what, two? generations older than those children, but I'm only transitioning now, and I have those same predecessors to thank that I felt safe enough to consider who I am inside and that I can be open about who I am and not suffer for it. I don't think I would have felt safe even thinking of it 10 years ago. It's nowhere near perfect these days, and there is still a lot of struggling and suffering yet do come, but it's come a long ways, and I'm grateful to the many people who've made things happy.
Here's a very incomplete and rather random list of people I'm thankful to, (and I know it's way too small, I simply don't know enough about our history):
Lynn Conway
Sandy Stone
Kate Bornstein
Janet Mock
Julia Serano
Sylvia Rivera
Christine Jorgensen
I'm also grateful to the many allies who have supported us.
What other people should I be grateful to?
