I was born a female. Nobody in my life ever told me that I needed to like the color pink, want to go to dance class, or ask for dolls for my birthday. When I was in second grade, I went through a yearlong phase of only wearing my older brother’s hand-me-down clothes. My parents, teachers, and friends never told me I could not wear men’s clothes every day. Despite the fact that many of my female friends were showing up to school each day dressed in pink, girly, flower patterned dresses and skirts, I never felt out of place or in the wrong. Eventually, I did grow to prefer women’s clothes and even play with a doll occasionally, but I never was an incredibly “girly girl” growing up. This change was gradual for me and my expectations for others …show more content…
I am proud to live in a society in which some (not all) individuals feel comfortable enough to express their true selves. Feelings of respect and admiration arise because I always wonder if I would have the courage to be true to myself if placed in a similar situation. Unlike Abhina Aher, who bravely faced adversity to live her life the way she was meant to, I do not believe I would have the courage to defy gender norms, losing family and friends along the way. While I know what it is like to want to wear clothes associated with another gender, I do not understand what it is like to yearn to be another gender. As a Resident Assistant, I have gone through training to help students come out as transgender or as any level outside of the gender binary. Each time I go through a training activity, I realize that I will never be able to understand what it is that the student is feeling, which is both a source of frustration and a sense of relief at the same time. Though I can speak of how I admire those who are comfortable living outside of gender norms, I am embarrassed to say that I am grateful I live within gender norms, shielded from additional sources of adversity, bullying, exclusion, and emotional