by Anne Rouyer, Supervising Librarian, Mulberry Street Library, June 16, 2015

With the coming out of Caitlyn Jenner, the lauding of actress Laverne Cox, shows on ABC Family and Amazon as well as many, many other things, transgender people are in the middle of a truly historic moment. They are moving from the fringes of society to front and center—ready or not. You have to be very brave and courageous to show the world your true self. However, all these positive news stories doesn’t mean that some people aren’t still confused or angered by what it means to be transgender or what it means for their own gender identities. They need to find true understanding through authentic stories and personal experiences. Twenty years ago, when I was in college, a girl I’d grown up with transitioned to male. I was puzzled at first, mainly by the mechanics of it and how it would all work, but I realized that it actually made complete sense. She’d always seemed more male than female to me anyway and now her outside was just finally going to match who she was inside. I couldn’t begin to imagine walking around and feeling like I was in the wrong body and so in the end it was very easy for me to accept her as a him.

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