Questioning

Many transgender people I've spoken to knew that they were a girl or a boy when they were children. Then there are those folks who are questioning their gender. The latter was my case. I never had questions about my gender before because I assumed that I was male. It was quite a revelation when the questioning phase enveloped me.

In today's society, questioning anything  is almost tantamount to treason or being a sellout or a troublemaker. If  someone didn't question that the earth was flat, many would still believe that the earth is flat. If someone did ask the difficult questions of race and class, then Martin Luther King wouldn't have out come on the scene. If I hadn't question my gender, I wouldn't be the happy and contented transgender woman I am today.

For anyone to say to someone that they are a boy when they feel and know internally that they are a girl (and vice verse) because they are suppose to be that is telling them that there's nothing that they can do about it. This type of thinking has proven to be erroneous. To make anyone conform to someone that they are not is spirit killing and damaging to one's well being. How many transgender men and women have ended their lives because of this.

Questioning is good because it causes us to assess who we really are and where we need to go. I was in my mid fifties when my gender questioning began. I love listening to children ask questions because they are curious and want to know. It should be the same way with adults. If many adults had asked questions about the issues the country faces, I believe that the world would be different. The Vietnam War ended because the people asked questions and discovered what they were being told was lies. Laws which discriminate against transgender are slowly being dismantled because people are questioning the validity of these laws. 

We all need to question the things that are wrong, whether they be in the political arena, the neighborhood or withing ourselves. In the end, solutions can be found and life will be better for everyone concerned.