It is a joy to be transgender

Live and Learn | March 15th, 2025

By Faye Seidler

Somewhere lost in the cultural scuffle of what it means to be transgender is that it is an absolute joy to experience the world in such a way. When you take away the societal prejudice and extreme political rhetoric, what remains is something amazing and beautiful. In a different world and across so many cultures, trans people were honored, celebrated and revered.

While the world looks scary for people who are trans, it's worth acknowledging that there have never been so many parents who love and accept their trans children. There has never been better medical research on treating trans youth or access for these youth to get care. There is so much more literature, education, science and hope than there has ever been before.

That may seem strange, given the hundreds of laws and handful of executive orders that attempt to snuff out the light that is trans people, but still, there have never been more people who have identified as trans. Because this is the first time everyone in the nation knows what it means and, for once, people don’t grow up for decades confused about why life doesn’t make sense. They grew up with the language to describe themselves, even if they can’t tell anyone else, they know they’re valid.

The reason for all of those laws is top-down political bullying attempting to enforce a culture that people largely don’t agree with. All of this effort is necessary as a desperate attempt to cling to an anti-queer sentiment of yesteryear. And despite all of that, anyone who is compassionate can clearly see the hate. Anyone who is scientific can see how easily the house of cards falls. And at the end of the day, when the moral panic runs its course, culture will realize that the dangerous gender ideology was the anti-woke crowd burning minorities at the stall.

Yet, that is all the big picture. Life is getting better for some and getting a lot worse for others. With as many kids in loving homes, there are a significant number of kids who do their best to survive day by day. Who grow up around a culture that tries to tell them they’re wrong or confused or evil. Who feel alone and afraid.

So, from March 24th through March 31st, there is a Raise the Trans Flag Event. This event encourages allies to change their social media pictures to the trans flag so trans folks across the state can see that despite the negative rhetoric from lawmakers or the federal government, there are people who love them and want them to be happy.

What’s lost in the discourse of trans topics is often trans people. And trans individuals are part of every group. They are of all political parties, races, faiths, jobs, and communities. There is no singular feature or belief across the entire people, except a shared experience of not fitting into the box assigned at birth. That’s the big crime that has generated five years of constant think pieces, political attacks, and executive orders.

With that in mind, this event will also feature trans folks from around the state talking about their lives, hobbies, or their favorite things. It will end with a celebration of the Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31st.

Faye Seidler is a professional consultant at fayeseidlerconsulting.com and the Community Uplift Program Manager at Harbor Health Initiative.

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