Rock the Boat?

2019

I'm the redhead, cis-gender wife.

Not too long ago I was on a social media site and was reading a post by a person
talking about transgender people.  They stated that if you have XX chromosomes,
you are for sure a woman, and if you have XY chromosomes, you are a male. They
said that there is nothing in between but that each person is either male or female,
depending on their chromosomes.  They said that no one could have a woman’s
genitals and be a man, or have male genitals and be a woman. They were basically
saying in a strong way that things are this way and no one else can say otherwise.

This got me to thinking about what this person was saying but also about what others
do and say.  This led to me wondering what has happened to common courtesy?  
What has happened with people respecting others just for being people?  Have you
actually talked with and spent time with a transgender person?  Honestly, I'll bet you
did, and possibly didn't even know it. Many people interact with transgender people
without having a clue. Do you know the fear, anxiety, and ridicule that plagues them?  
It’s about a person having the right to be who they are deep down.

I know some transgender people.  One thing I know is that transgender people are
the same as anyone else.  They want to be treated with common courtesy and not
made to feel like an outcast or that they are "dirty". They haven't chosen this life.  
Trust me if a transgender person could choose they wouldn't likely choose to be
transgender.

Frankly, it's like the debate about what percentage of people are intersex? Who
cares? If that percentage is 17%, 1.7%, 0.17%, or 0.017%, why does that matter?
They still exist, and they’re still who they are. They didn’t choose to be intersex.
Why does it matter if the overall number of transgender people is relatively small?
If the fact that the number of trans people is small gives you the sort of false
courage needed to act like a complete jackass toward them, what does that say
about you as a person? 

There are hurdles that transgender people have to deal with that most of us can't
begin to understand. Things most of us don’t even think about. These are things
that happen all the time to transgender people.  Once they accept the fact that they
are trans there are often lots of things they have to overcome that they might not
see looming ahead of them.  They have the problem of being ostracized by family,
society, and church. Mind you, churches and transgender people are a completely
different thing and one that I won't go into because it angers me the way
"Christians" treat LGBT people in general.

My wife was born with a guy’s body. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t one of the
girliest girls I’ve ever met. Since we faced her reality head-on, I’ve seen her
blossom and grow as a person in ways not possible before. It’s been fun and
educational to see her become herself.

It's not about rocking the boat.  Transgender people can't help that the person who
they really are doesn't fit the body that they have.  I believe people should be
advocates for the transgender community. Allies, they call us. I will do what I can to
help them because there are too many people out there who in their ignorance or
prejudice feel that transgender people shouldn't even exist or that being is a choice.
But we didn't choose to have the hair color we have, or the eye color we have, or
being left or right handed. We are born with these attributes. In the same way, a
transgender person is born with their attributes.  

I realize this may be preaching and I don't mean to be.  I also don't mean for this to

be shoved down anyone's throat. I just have seen transgender people marginalized
over and over, and I know that education and understanding can change lives.
Thinking about it, maybe it's a bit about rocking the boat, after all?