I'm not brave I am just me

Just as the title says I'm not brave I am just me.  I put my pants on like everyone else, I walk by putting one foot infront of the other & I switch off which leg I put my injections into.  Okay so maybe I am not typical, but that doesn't make me brave.  I actually started asking people why they thought I was so brave, or inspirational and these were some of the things that they responded with and then my response back to them after thinking about it:

• "You didn't know people's reactions before you came out so it took courage to do it anyway."
• That was part of the reason I didn't just do the post on Facebook, I came out to a select few people because they were open minded.  True being open minded doesn't necessarily mean you accept everything but I had a good feeling.  So once I had a support group that I knew I could fall back on if anything went wrong it was not nearly as daunting a task as it initially seemed to be.
• "You aren't afraid to be who you are"
• I decided that I had spent enough time slowing killing myself with my negative and judgmental thoughts.  No fate that others dish out could have been worse then what I was consistently putting myself through.
• "You are so open about all of it."
• It is a part of me and my history.  Not all trans people necessarily agree to this but in my opinion if I wasn't open about it then I would feel that I was ashamed of my reality & circumstances and that is in no way the case.  Biologically I was born a little girl who grew up to become the man he always knew himself to be.  If people in the trans community are not open and/or okay with who they are then that sends a message to anyone thinking about coming out to just keep it inside because it is better then admitting it and hating yourself.

Other than that it started becoming relatively the same sorts of ideas and comments.  If I inspire people that is fantastic, but I really don't see myself as any more brave/courageous than the next Tom, Dick, or Harry.

1 year after coming out

So September 25th was one year after coming out to the world.  A lot of people asked me if I was happy.  I could only respond with "I am the happiest I have been in as long as I can remember."  Some people continued to show their support and let me know that I am an inspiration, courageous & other such things (which I am going to go into more detail in my next post).

I still consider myself incredibly lucky because I have not really faced any negativity.  No one has actually said or done anything to put me down or make me feel inferior (aside from people misgendering me).  I am sure I have said this before...and I am sure I will say it again, but it is truly sad that because I am being treated as a human being I am "Lucky".  It truly says something about the world that we live in if we cannot accept and appreciate the differences that make each one of us special, unique & one of a kind.