Yesterday, the President of the United States declared, by fiat, that I do not exist, and that my existence must not be acknowledged. My health does not matter, and my medical needs must not be covered. But I will not surrender. I will not lose hope. I will continue.
I have new love in my life. Her name is Jenni, and we intend to live openly and proudly. We will not surrender to the fear, for if we do, then the haters have won. Later, in the spring, we will move into a more LGBTQ+ friendly area of the country. For now, we are safe with friends while the winter storms rage. We communicate daily via hours of video chat. We are each others’ support.
This blog has been an outlet for me to process much over the past years, and that will continue. I admit when the election result became clear, knowing how he used my existence to win, I considered shutting down this blog, and all social media. For about a week or so, I gave serious consideration to going stealth. I was never fully convinced I could really pull it off. But more importantly, I simply don’t want to.
I am a transgender woman. I am proud of that fact. I worked hard, and fought many difficult battles, to become the woman I am. I love the woman I am. I will not let the haters deny me my reality. And in the very difficult times yet to come, the people who are younger than I am, might well benefit from seeing that happiness as a trans person is possible. That we can be ourselves, and we can thrive.
The coming times will be a struggle. We will lose ground. But in the end, this too shall pass. How many years will it be before the pendulum swings back, before the arc of the moral universe bends back to justice? We cannot know. Will I live to see these times end? We cannot know.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
The journey continues. It continues with pride, joy, and love. I will not surrender.
An Aging Trans Woman 
We will not be erased! Love you honey…Jenni
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Oh my love. My heart melts.
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I see you. I acknowledge you. Others do as well. We support you. Hang in there, he can only have one term in office and will more than likely not complete it. We (cis, and LGBTQ+) will not let you be erased.
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Thank you Suze!
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Hang in there Sister. Speak your truth loud and proud.
Love you always,
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Thank you dear Sister! I absolutely intend to do just that. Love to you as well.
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This is a great read, and very courageous of you! I thought nothing less from you, but would not blame anyone for going stealth. And I hope that will not become necessary for anyone.
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Thank you Ali for the kind words. 🫂
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