Living in America As A Trans Person is Exhausting

living in america as a trans person is exhausting.

it’s tiring reading the news and immediately seeing another anti-trans bill passed or another politician using my identity as their talking point.

i’m tired of those in power calling our existence a “radical ideology.”

it’s hard to explain what it feels like knowing the people running this country don’t want you in it – and knowing half the country agrees with them.

that kind of reality messes with you in ways most people will never have to sit with.

so reading the news as a trans person in America is just a reminder of how easy it is for your existence to be debated by people who will never get the privilege to know you.

and then the holidays come.

suddenly you’re expected to sit at a table with people who voted for this. people who helped make this your reality.

family and friends who supported politicians actively trying to take your healthcare, your safety, and your future away.

they ask about your life...

they ask how you’re doing...

they want updates on your job and your travels...

...as if they’re entitled to know anything about you.

because when you support people who are attacking someone’s existence, you don’t really love them.

not really.

so yeah, that hurts.

and it makes you question a lot of things.

but it’s also why i refuse to shut up.

why i make it a part of the very career those people are so interested in.

it’s why i fight harder for my community, especially trans kids, who deserve healthcare and safety without being used as political weapons.

trans people are less than 1% of the population and somehow we’re the center of this country’s fear.

gender affirming care saves lives. our community is living proof of that.

so if you’re trans and reading this: you’re not dramatic for being tired.

you’re not wrong for setting boundaries.

and you don’t owe access to your life to anyone who wouldn’t fight for it.