Hello world! I'm back.
After an extended absence from the blogosphere, I have decided that I do, in fact, have things worth sharing and maybe even a few people who would be interested in reading them. I launched this blog back in 2016, shortly after I came out, as a means to share my experience of transitioning with the wider world. Some may even remember those early posts. For the moment, I've taken down all my old posts, though I may review them and republish some of that earlier content. To relaunch the blog though, I want to share some thoughts that have been on my mind today.
The other evening I found myself sitting in the living room of a friend's home, watching her 2-year-old son play with a third friend who was sitting on the floor. The three of us, along with a couple of others, were hanging out, relaxing after an earlier party my friend had hosted. It was a ordinary moment. Nothing particularly interesting or consequential about it. The energy level was mellow, except for the 2-year-old who was having a great time running back and forth across the room pulling a bundle of balloons left from the party. That was the simple beauty of the moment. I was among friends in a place where I felt completely welcome, safe, and at home. There was no need to do something or be someone in particular. I could be entirely at ease with myself and my environment.
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| Photo by Marea Wellness on Unsplash |
I've been reflecting on that today. What a gift this is, to have not only a friend who I know completely and fully welcomes and loves me for who I am, but for her house to be a space where I can experience that in a physical and emotional manner. The world right now is a challenging place, to put it mildly. There are many issues and valid reasons to feel anxious and afraid, not to mention angry and indignant. I certainly carry that burden every day, as do most (all?) of my friends. While I have many friends with whom I feel completely safe, physical spaces where I experience an innate sense of welcome and safety are much less common. My own home, of course, is such a space. But outside of my own home, I can identify only a handful of places where I can be entirely at ease. Which makes me highly grateful for the friend mentioned here and the few others whose homes are such places. I hope that my home offers a similar space to them and to any others I welcome into it.
This question of safe spaces is becoming increasingly acute for transgender individuals. We are encountering increasing resistance and active limitations to our freedom to simply exist in public spaces. There are many people who would like to erase us from society altogether, and unfortunately they have come to occupy positions of power and influence that they are now using to remove our rights and our freedoms to achieve their ends. In the face of such pressure, safe spaces are critical, and spaces where someone like me can be entirely at ease are a rare treasure.
My heart overflows with gratitude this evening to those friends who have welcomed me into their homes in such a way that I can feel such a deep, soul-refreshing sense of welcome and belonging. I hope that you, too, have such places in your life. And I invite you to create such a space for others, even if it's only a small number of people. Life is really tough right now. We need each other. Let's do what we can to be there for one another.
