I think that as trans people we're caught in this really fascinating and intense social bind.

The act of transition is viewed by society as ultimate rebellion, and they tend to deal with it by saying it's only okay if we achieve maximum conformity.

So no wonder we're in pain!

These two concepts are diametrically opposed and create a kind of emotional dissonance that often shreds our ability to find inner peace.

This is part of why early transition can be so difficult for us. It's a mindfuck on so many levels.

But it's also the source of our power.

Life has always been about balancing one's sense of responsibility and one's need for freedom and autonomy; to balance individuality with social identity. Both matter, and there are a million pitfalls along the way.

When we decide to transition, those pitfalls get wider.

The path becomes more treacherous. We're beset on every side by forces we had no idea could even exist.

And that's why we're badasses. Anyone who makes it a few years into transition has been through a gauntlet and kicked it's fucking ass.

To survive the fact that our sexualities are constantly under attack, we develop thick skin.

We learn that those who would shame us for being different are only projecting their own shame and fear at us, and we don't have to accept it. We learn to love our love.

To survive the fact that society constantly places us in the center of conflicting expectations, we learn to throw them off and act with our intuition.

This gives us a sense of genuine authenticity, and the opportunity to have a kind of confidence most people dream of.

To survive the fact that we're constantly judged by surfaces, we learn to see beneath the surface.

This teaches us to percieve others with compassion and unusual empathy.

Society's conflicting expectations, crushing dysphoria, all of the pressures that we undergo and defeat make us stronger. And they give us the opportunity to learn to stand above the bullshit and see it for what it is: an illusion.

Beauty is an ephemeral social construct.

Sexuality is infinitely variable.

Gender is infinitely variable.

Identity is relative, fluid, and infinitely recomposable. You don't have to keep parts of yourself you don't like. You can cut them away and replace them.

You are free.

What holds us back are the conflicting dissonant values that create walls in your awareness. They're emotional, intellectual, and perceptual programs. We can X them out without fear- they can always be rebooted later.

There's so much agility to be had in this way.

Our values should be working for *us*. We should not be working for them. That's what self mastery is all about, how it is done.

Transition kind of gives us a crash course in this. There's so much potential for growth in adversity!

So my point is this:

Take heart!

It's not over. Things might be really tough, but the fact that you're reading this means, unequivocally, that YOU ARE MAKING PROGRESS!

Give yourself a pat on the back, for fuck's sake.