Walking While Trans

Last week I wrote about the common fear we all have when it comes to presenting in public.  The core of what I wrote centered on speculating what others might think of us.  Of course, we will never know what others think of us unless we ask them.  And I don’t plan on asking anyone what they think of me.  Why would I?  Someone once told me that what other people think of you is none of your business, and that’s exactly correct.

Ignoring what others think of us can be pretty simple.  However, it becomes devastating when others tell us what they think of us.  Although almost experience I’ve had has been either mundane or positive, I’ve still had a few instances where someone has said something disparaging to me.  I’ve had two instances this year where someone said something that wasn’t very nice but by then I’ve been going out for years and I felt pretty invincible.  I can’t imagine anyone saying anything at this point in my life that would really affect me.  However, if negative comments were said in the first couple times I went out, it might be a different story.

I thought about all this as I read about a documentary called “Walking While Trans” produced by the website Mic.  According to the article, Mic has produced a series of videos capturing the personal and often insidious moments of aggression and judgment directed at transgender people in public spaces. To capture this, a shooter walked in front of, behind and alongside four different trans individuals while they walked through the streets of New York, filming the ambiguous and ultimately universal moments where strangers glance at one another, with no idea what the other may be thinking. 

I encourage you all to watch this video and read this article.

Be safe.  Be happy.  Happy New Year.

Love, Hannah