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@janetmock I have a story for you. I will try to post it properly so you can see it though I am older and still learning about twitter. Before the release of your first book a very special young person I know attended your talk about it at Amherst College.
This young person was struggling immensely as they were trans. You had talked about suicide rates and intimate partner violence rates. They sat there and for the first time felt seen. Incredibly and wonderfully seen by someone who understood even without knowing who they were.
They felt nervous but asked you for a picture and you agreed. You were so bubbly and instantly put them at ease. They got back and immediately called and told me all about it. They told me about your book and asked if there was a way they could work odd jobs for me to make some $
This was the first time I had seen this side of them. A happy and vibrant young person came to life that night in front of my eyes. What you did not know was that they were homeless as even though Northampton MA is progressive it is not as progressive as the world assumes.
Those statistics you rattled off meant everything to them. They were in an abusive relationship at the time because they needed a place to sleep. They were contemplating suicide themself just that day before I had a friend of my bring them to see you speak.
They decided that night after hearing what you had to say that they not only wanted to live but they wanted to thrive. Like you. I bought them that book and they finished it in less than a week. They then convinced everyone they knew to read it as well.
Every single one of us social workers helping them out read it and we were so moved. I saw why they came back the way they did. Because by just existing as your honest self you showed them something greater was possible for them. They for the first time felt like they mattered.
They saved up all their money over the next several years, a slow moving process and left their abuser in 2017. They told him they knew their worth and they deserved better. After reading your first book they realized that their body, their transness was beautiful.
After reading and rereading it became reenforced in their very soul that they mattered. When they left him he became violent and they almost died. They ended up in a nursing home but kept strong. They told me you had a new book and they couldn't go anywhere before they read it.
I brought them that book at the nursing home the next day. We read it together. As they worked on their speech after their brain injury they would read it out loud to the other residents. We would go around the circle and take turns each practicing reading and speaking.
The nursing home staff would barter 1 chapter for 30 minutes of physical rehabilitation exercise. By the time they finished Surpassing Certainty for the 5th time their speech was greatly improved and that spark was back in their eyes. They were approved to leave the nursing home
I helped them find a place to live and got them set up in their home. One night as I was tucking them into bed they said to me "I think I am going to have a partner one day. I reread Redefining Realness and I deserve to have that. One day it will happen. I just know it." I nodded
Now we will fast forward because this is the reason for this long thread. It has been roughly 8 years since you met this person. In that 8 years your work and writing and activism has made such a difference in this young persons life. You being you had such an impact on them.
It's been roughly 3 years since their brain injury and they credit you for all the things they have done since then. They have relearned to talk, to move their arms, to write, to read, to sing and dance. They have started the process of running for town government.
And most important to them, they have fallen in love and now have a child by someone who truly deeply cares about them and treats them with the respect they deserve. I am writing this on their behalf to thank you. To truly thank you for showing them that they mattered.
By you publicly and unapologetically being yourself and putting yourself and your story out there the way you did you inspired them to do the same. You taught them things about who they are that no one else could have. Through your writing you gave them that acceptance.
The acceptance they were always searching for but never had gotten before. That night at Amherst College where you gave them a hug and took a picture and told them that they mattered is what changed them forever in the best way possible.
They credit that evening as having saved their life in more ways than one. That evening for them is the evening that they themself redefined what it meant for them to be their real authentic self. In 2017 in that nursing home they surpassed certainty that they had purpose in life
They often say they could never thank you enough for writing those books. Those books meant everything to them and still do. As I sit here with them and their partner making breakfast and chatting away that same joy you sparked within them years ago is more vibrant than ever.
Thank you Janet Mock for being so boldly and unapologetically you. Because of you I still have this amazing young person in front of me and I get to watch everyday as they grow and flourish into the person they know themself to be. Thank you for all you do. #transpride #blessed
