The Point of It All

We (trans people; trans women) are now more visible than at any time in my life so far. The national, even global spotlight has turned on us. What will we do with this? It is horrifying, it is deadly, and I am convinced it is still an opportunity. To do what, I am not sure. I feel the weight of Duty. I move with Grace.

I want something that is ours. So much of transness feels like a necessary reaction to cis society and the violence it inflicts on us. I have been told, repeatedly, that nothing exists outside of context. Very, very often I see the type of thinking that goes "I am a monster because this is what you made me into. I am reclaiming and finding power in this." I think that’s great. It's not what I'm doing. There is something internal, essential, and immune to their violence. It is something they cannot understand, because to understand it necessitates being something like us. It is ours, it is not in reaction, and it is what I talk about and think we can reach through Eyes.

There’s a divinity in the world now, and its limbs are Eyes and Teeth. It’s attractive to a certain type of freak, and it tells you that you’re divine, too. It’s a gathering point, a beacon – and if you come closer you’ll see you’re not the only one drawn to the flame. It doesn't ask for blind obedience, but to take this body you've been given and use it – to see, create, rend and tear, cry, be broken and be whole. It asks you to open yourself to others, to let them echo within you. It tells you to ask for more, to be more, to change and be changed in turn. It says there are yet stranger shores beyond the horizon, and that we can go there, together. It asks for insight, and courage to act on that insight. It’s something you have to choose. The pieces have been there as long as we've existed. Now, they begin to coalesce into something larger, something still unfolding. If we didn't find this, you or someone like you still would've. It is inevitable; it is a choice. There is a role for you to play, if you come and take it. Will you join us? Are you scared yet? I’m scared, too.