I recently read a wonderfully
written coming out letter by the outgoing American University Student Body
President. It reminded me a little bit of my own coming
out letter from last year, though I feel she did a much better job
articulating her experience. After reading it, I had mixed feelings. Though I
was incredibly happy and excited for her, I was also slightly envious – not
just of her writing ability, or the platform she has to make change – but
because she’s doing this six years before I did. And when that last thought
popped in my head, I recalled a comment someone made recently that bothered me:
“I have some trans friends who are much further along [than you].”
What does that even mean? At this point I’m living full-time,
legally, as a female, what else is there to do? Being ‘further along’ seems to
suggest that there are still things left to do. I mean, I have to work on my
voice and there are some surgeries to consider, but transition isn’t a race. Coming
out isn’t a race. There’s no prize for being first, no harm in being last, and
we’re not all even running the same race to begin with. That’s the point of
being true to yourself, you get to march to the beat of your own drum instead
of what others expect.
