The film “Disclosure” was an emotionally evoking and eye-opening film for me to watch. Trans representation in media throughout history is not something I knew much about prior to watching this documentary. The most upsetting part of watching this for me was the fact that trans identities have historically been represented as something to laugh at. Every human being deserves respect and recognition. We all want to be seen. It takes so much courage and strength for trans people to come out and transition. I can’t imagine how much it hurts to be invalidated no matter what you do. 

         Sadira Mohammed posted a snapshot this week that said “Be true to who you are”, featuring a picture of a trans man who had recently undergone top surgery. I love this snapshot because at the core of transness is a desire to be true to yourself and your own identity. Choosing to deny your truth in order to maintain the status quo is no way to live. To not accept a trans person’s identity is to deny someone their truth, and that is not a decision that anyone has the authority to make. 

         I don’t fully understand why our society is so transphobic. I assume that it all stems from the patriarchy and its golden standard of gender norms and gender values. I also assume that it stems from the tendency of people to minimize and erase experiences that aren’t their own. Just as some white people will do everything in their power to invalidate the experiences of people of color. Just like there are people out there who say the Holocaust didn’t happen. Sometimes it feels like we will never escape the invalidation and erasure of others. 

         In the LGBTQ+ community it feels as though getting the majority of people to accept the trans community is the next frontier. Although being gay is nowhere near being accepted in the way that being straight is, it’s still lightyears ahead in its social acceptability when compared to transness. I have been dating a trans man for a short period of time and the transphobic comments that people have made to me about it have been really eye opening. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be trans and have to deal with the transphobia of others. 

         I’ve realized that most people don’t “get” being trans. I don’t understand why people think that they must fully understand another’s experience before affording them respect and validation. I don’t understand why people who consider themselves to be accepting, loving and open-minded are unable to apply those traits to the way they think about trans people. Oftentimes trans people are either laughed at or hyper-sexualized by the media, and both are a form of dehumanization. Trans people are often written off as being confused about who they are. The truth is that trans people are so in touch with themselves that they have actually set an example for the rest of us in how to be true to yourself and confident in who you are no matter what others try to tell you or take away from you.