Robin, thank you so much for writing this. I pulled out so many quote that hit me hard, but now that I look at them, I realize it's practically half of your essay! I was in the ER recently for what turned out to be a panic attack and spent far longer there than should have been necessary because every. single. person. misgendered me AND my wife the entire time, so instead of being able to reground, my anxiety just kept getting worse. The line in your note "And all of the hurt from those small words turns inward, taking itself out on my body." describes exactly what it feels like.
I'm so sorry you had that experience. And I can absolutely relate. No sooner do we start to recover from the last thing and something new comes along to kneecap us swiftly.
Sounds like even though you know who you are that society in general does not. I see nothing wrong with wanting to be identified as the person you are.
Robin, thank you so much for writing this. I pulled out so many quote that hit me hard, but now that I look at them, I realize it's practically half of your essay! I was in the ER recently for what turned out to be a panic attack and spent far longer there than should have been necessary because every. single. person. misgendered me AND my wife the entire time, so instead of being able to reground, my anxiety just kept getting worse. The line in your note "And all of the hurt from those small words turns inward, taking itself out on my body." describes exactly what it feels like.
I'm so sorry you had that experience. And I can absolutely relate. No sooner do we start to recover from the last thing and something new comes along to kneecap us swiftly.
Sounds like even though you know who you are that society in general does not. I see nothing wrong with wanting to be identified as the person you are.
It's hard for a binary society to make space for anyone who doesn't fit.
I would like to read this sometime. 😐