I thought I was open-minded.
Well, I suppose we all do, in a way. We assume that because our minds are more open than the ones around us that we’re the smart ones, we’re the chosen, we’re the intellectual and cultural pariahs; nope, it just means we’re not quite as dumb as everyone else in our little village.
As a gay man, I’ve always felt an affinity to transgendered people, despite having absolutely no knowledge or personal experience with their plight. It was like… all of humanity is in a room, and straight heternormative types are over there taking up most of the center of the room, I’m here hanging by the chips and dip, and the transgendered peeps are over in the opposite corner. But this meant, to me, that we had a bond for both being outcast, albeit different kinds of outcasts. It made me a brother, someone who by all rights and means would fight for them against an imposing majority. (more…)