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It’s me. Hi. I’m the transgender banned-book-reading queer adult your right-wing parents’ rights advocates warned you about.
I eat hate speech for breakfast, gender-affirming care bans for lunch, and anyone who calls me a groomer for dinner. I’m the monster under the bed whispering things like “your identity is valid,” and “you deserve to be loved for who you are.” And, while I’m at it, I put on a David Bowie album.
I pay my taxes, vote, and write letters to the editor. I survived the horrors of middle school; bullying, restricted access to the bathroom, adults deeply confused by who I was — a kid who showed up to learn, but who ended up teaching instead.
And I am shouting from the rooftops that I’m so glad you’re here. And, in fact, it does get better.
It may not feel that way today. It may not feel that way tomorrow. It probably didn’t feel like that last week, or the week before, but I promise, it does. I am reminded of it every day when I wake up next to my wonderful husband and feel gloriously, improbably, alive.
But the only way we get to that better future is by getting through today. And the day after that. And the day after that. So, here I am, your friendly, neighborhood queer who survived to adulthood, begging you to do the same — and for us all to make it better for kids like me who just want the chance to grow up.
Rylan Hynes
Hallowell
