Depression and isolation in light of recent events

[PaulaQ]

There are a lot of practical reasons I support the rights of the CD community, and consider your identity and expressions as valid as I consider my own:
1. Most of us who undergo medical transition don't pass at first.
2. Many of us who could pass will only do so with extensive facial surgery that is often beyond our means to obtain
3. For a good number of us, even with that, we still don't pass well
4. Some CDs transition, so discrimination against them is discrimination against trans women
5. The black hats don't distinguish between us anyway

So practically speaking, for an outside observer, there is often little to distinguish someone in medical transition from someone who isn't in medical transition. And very few of us pass when we begin, so if CDs aren't safe in public, most of us can't really safely medically transition either. So our interests are aligned.

All of that is well and good, but it isn't why I support your rights, same as I support my own.

The reason I support your rights is this - it is the only right and moral thing to do!

There are a lot of transsexuals who view themselves as being somehow "better" or "more deserving of rights" than a CD. I think those sentiments are absolutely deplorable and hypocrisy of the worst kind. Who am I to demand respect for MY gender, and then turn around and deny that respect to someone else?

I will be discussing this with my support group next week. I've heard talk I don't like, and I am NOT going to tolerate people bringing in horrible attitudes from the cisgender world. And equating CDs with sex predators us every bit as evil and wrong as calling a TS like me a sexual predator.

To the CDs out there who hear this stuff "we're better than them", or "we're not like those CDs!" from TSs, I apologize on behalf of my community. Some of us, suffering from internalized transphobia and a desire to deflect this horrible stuff away from us at any cost. We fear being seen as pretending to be women. Others resent your "privilege" - you can switch back to boy mode when the going gets tough. These ideas are just wrong headed, and based in fear for the most part.

I know CDs though. I've talked with many of you, I've seen the pain in your eyes, most of you do not have easy lives. Leading a double life, as most of you do is not a privilege. Living in fear of discovery is awful - I know because that was my life for so long. I get it. And so I support y'all too.