“I just remember going to bed that night and praying to God that while I slept, he would fix the mistake and when I woke up that I’d be the boy I knew I was supposed to be,” Derrick says to me. At six-years-old, he feels like he was born in the wrong body, but at that age, he didn’t even know what transgender (a person whose gender identity does not correspond to that person’s biological sex assigned at birth) meant. Early on he wanted to wear what the boys got to wear when going swimming, though he wasn’t allowed because his mother explains to him that he was a girl. Struggling with self-conflict is hard enough, it is even harder when you struggling with gender identity issues on top of that. We all have something about ourselves that other
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Someone who is transgender can become a victim/ survivor of physical, mental, and sexual assault. They also have to deal with discrimination when it comes to finding a job, shopping at the store, being provided medical care, and can even be subjected to death. Derrick tells me, “I feel an incredible amount of pressure to keep it a secret or on a need to know basis because of all the risks of being openly transgender. I need to make a living and support myself and my family and I certainly don’t want to lose my life.” When I hear the percentage rates of the crimes against the transgender community, I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Knowing that he wants to be a spokesman, to educate and inspire others outside of his Trans community, even when the death of a transgender person is 50% higher than others of the LBGTQ+ is overwhelming. He states, “I believe that transgender people should have the right to have their stories publicized. I think it’s time that this country begins to understand that there aren’t just two genders and that not everything is black and white.” Derrick has been a survivor of being refused medical attention; he has been discriminated against, and he even had his civil rights violated by the police when his life was threated and he was physically assaulted. The police officers said there are no laws in place, in Missouri, to protect people of “his kind”. …show more content…
In no way, have I or will I go through as much scrutiny as he has or will. My experience with self-identity was different because even though I may get disapproving looks or people who do not agree I don’t have people scrutinizing me in the ways he has. The way he has overcome so much adversity to be himself provides me the reassurance I need to help him in his own journey to make our community aware of such a controversial topic. Something we both feel strongly about is that everyone deserves to feel happiness and to be comfortable with who they are. If you need support reach out, not everyone in the world is full of hate for the LGBTQ+ community. Keep fighting and if it gets hard just remember you deserve a good life as much as the next person. No one should struggle with self-identity issues alone. We all have something about us that could be a scrutinized topic in tomorrow’s
Someone who is transgender can become a victim/ survivor of physical, mental, and sexual assault. They also have to deal with discrimination when it comes to finding a job, shopping at the store, being provided medical care, and can even be subjected to death. Derrick tells me, “I feel an incredible amount of pressure to keep it a secret or on a need to know basis because of all the risks of being openly transgender. I need to make a living and support myself and my family and I certainly don’t want to lose my life.” When I hear the percentage rates of the crimes against the transgender community, I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Knowing that he wants to be a spokesman, to educate and inspire others outside of his Trans community, even when the death of a transgender person is 50% higher than others of the LBGTQ+ is overwhelming. He states, “I believe that transgender people should have the right to have their stories publicized. I think it’s time that this country begins to understand that there aren’t just two genders and that not everything is black and white.” Derrick has been a survivor of being refused medical attention; he has been discriminated against, and he even had his civil rights violated by the police when his life was threated and he was physically assaulted. The police officers said there are no laws in place, in Missouri, to protect people of “his kind”. …show more content…
In no way, have I or will I go through as much scrutiny as he has or will. My experience with self-identity was different because even though I may get disapproving looks or people who do not agree I don’t have people scrutinizing me in the ways he has. The way he has overcome so much adversity to be himself provides me the reassurance I need to help him in his own journey to make our community aware of such a controversial topic. Something we both feel strongly about is that everyone deserves to feel happiness and to be comfortable with who they are. If you need support reach out, not everyone in the world is full of hate for the LGBTQ+ community. Keep fighting and if it gets hard just remember you deserve a good life as much as the next person. No one should struggle with self-identity issues alone. We all have something about us that could be a scrutinized topic in tomorrow’s