JD Hunter
Existence IS Resistance: The Importance of Transgender Survival
“It could have been a lot of stuff but it just wasn’t us / The very thought of how you operate, I’m filled up with disgust / I live and die for the cause, nail me to the cross / Take your pity off, maybe listen up (Let go)”
–Bladee, “UNDERSTATEMENT” (SPIDERR)
Existing as a transgender person is incomprehensibly rough, particularly when you live in an environment where your very presence is abhorrent and simply unacceptable. No matter how strong you are, it gets to you. Those little–but frequent–jabs begin to add up, until you reach a breaking point. It tears your soul apart, causes intense mental anguish, and makes you question whether you even want to keep on living anymore. And the kicker–knowing that most of this hatred comes from your own family members. Those that are supposed to care for you suddenly become your tormentors, and existing in your skin feels like a punishment.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it. Being on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is worth any hatred that comes my way because of my identity–because I am finally myself. And I’m especially proud to be a trans woman–even if there were a button which I could press and immediately become a cis woman, I wouldn’t dare press it. Because I love who I am, and the extremely supportive trans community that I have the honor of being a part of. So what if we aren’t the same as cisgender women? We shouldn’t even WANT to be the same as them in the first place! We are unique, beautiful, and sacred. Do not fret that your body is not the same, but instead, bask in the beauty and sacredness of your unique body. You are You, and only You can be You, so love the You that You are and You will always be content in your own body. Remember, the first–and most important–step of trans resistance is survival. Not only is it the first step, but transgender survival itself IS resistance in this day and age. Our survival indicates that we’re here to stay, and we’re not going anywhere.
You are alive–remember that. They don’t want to see you living. They especially don’t want to see you happy, thriving, and existing as you are. They want you gone–eradicated and dead. They even use the exact same rhetoric which the Nazi party used in Germany to begin ridding the streets of those they deemed “undesirable.” Just like what is beginning now in the US, the Nazis too began by rounding up the homosexual, queer, trans, and disabled peoples–and the US seems to be doing the exact same at this moment in time. The exact same thing is happening before our very own eyes, as our own government is passing harmful laws that strip away the rights of queer and trans people. But one thing is abundantly clear–it is vital that we, as trans and queer people, continue to survive in the face of this nightmare. And more than that, we need to make our voices heard and felt. We must indicate that no matter what they do, we will still be here– a smirk on our battered face. Our eyes might be swollen shut, blood flowing down from our faces, with bodies so bruised that every moment is excruciatingly painful–but we will STILL be here, because no matter what is done to us, our community will NEVER stop fighting for the rights that we deserve.