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Monique Wellman's avatar

I'm grateful that the cashier in the story was willing to be honest and discuss her experiences with a relative stranger. I hate all of these Mama Bears memes which essentially seek to train the cis community to treat trans people differently than they would treat any other adult, to tiptoe around us, ignoring the pink elephant in the room. I want to express myself on matters relating to my life the same as any other adult, ESPECIALLY when it comes to trans-related topics. It's like Harvey Milk said nearly fifty years ago--"How can people change their minds about us if they don't know who we are?"

On other words, I also give Steve-O credit for having the courage, not just to change his mind about the stunt, and not only to actually ask a trans woman for her opinion as a trans woman, but to accept her response to his question as the valid, intelligent, and heartfelt opinion of an adult human being. It may not seem like much, but trust me: to be trans in Florida often seems as though I am but a spectator in the fight over my own rights.

Oh, and nobody asked me, but...personally, I don't see much distinction between Steve-O's planned stunt and a drag pageant: it's entertainment primarily created by cis men, intended for a cis audience, and rooted in ridicule of women. (I really hope I live long enough to see drag go the way of Chief Wahoo.)

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