When I was a young girl, I distinctly remember the first time I met an openly gay woman. She had a wicked sense of humor and would make me laugh until my sides hurt, she was kind and wonderful. I used to look at her and wonder why she would dress like a man, I never saw her in anything feminine. I asked her about it one day, as a child the fear of judgment doesn't exist, so I came right out with it, I looked her in the eye and asked "Why do you dress like a man?" My mothers eyes went wide and before she could reprimand me for being so forward, the woman replied "Because I am a man trapped in a woman's body" and then she laughed. I laughed with her but at that moment, I thought how terrible it must be to be trapped in a body that doesn't suit who you are on the inside.
Ever since that moment, I have had a deep respect for people that are gay, I do not for a second believe that they choose to be different or that they would want to "complicate" their lives according to the normal rules of society. And I can only imagine the pain that comes with feeling trapped in a skin that doesn't mirror who you are on the inside.
I recently read about a young boy of 12 who is undergoing a sex change, now as scary as I think that is (does a 12 year old know how to make a decision like that?) I felt enormous pity for him and his family. His school was informed that this was going to happen and instead of taking the appropriate action, they left it and when he arrived at the school, in a dress and pigtails and insisted that everyone call him by his new name, I'm sure you can only imagine the chaos that followed. Parents should have been notified so that they could equip their children with the knowledge of what was happening. Instead this little boy, soon to be a little girl, was bullied mercilessly.
We are all aware of how cruel children can be, some of the insults thrown at me at a young age, still haunt me to this day. If only we could all be taught the ability to think about what it would be like in someone else's shoes, I think our sympathy levels would sky rocket. And this does not only apply only to children but to some adults as well. Ignorance knows no age restriction.
My thoughts go out to that child and his family. It's going to a difficult road but at the end, you'll be better for it.
