By Sayem Ahmed
Only one person can choose who you want to be and it’s not President Donald Trump or some large group of people. It’s you. It’s okay for you to choose your gender and be who you want to be. Nobody likes being labeled something they’re not. Choosing what you want to wear or your sexual identity does not mean you’re broken. Despite everyone having different characteristics, we’re all equal together and should let others be themselves, and not have a say in what other people should be.
What I think about the LGBTQ+ community is that it’s a community for not just those who identify themselves as lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queer or any other identity, but a place for straight people as well. I’m a trans female who is currently a freshman at Adelphi University. I am a member of the Gay Straight Alliance and Students Beyond Binary clubs. While these clubs are safe spaces, I do wish there could be protection for the community. Whenever I crossdress at Adelphi, nobody has a problem with it, but I know that’s not always the case. Some people within the LGBTQ+ community experience hate, so I feel that Trump shouldn’t ban protections for such individuals.
We shouldn’t expand the discrimination against trans students or any other students, but instead give sturdy and safe protection to all our students, straight or not.
The LGBTQ+ community should be a safe community for everyone to be themselves and identify themselves however they like. Some might be shy, some might be super extroverted and some might be in the middle–and that’s okay. The definition of gender is the sexual identity of a person. What I do think about is equality. Gender doesn’t define your best and your flaws. There is nothing wrong with who you are or what you’re like because we all have our best moments and we all have our flawed moments. Anyone can do anything, such as make our own decisions, do what we think is right, help other people with problems, stay quiet, right our wrongs and/or let bygones be bygones.
When Trump first returned to the presidency last month, he immediately signed an order declaring there were only two genders: male and female. I think this is uncool because not everyone identifies as either male or female, and if I’m being honest, I don’t see how someone not being male nor female can hurt anyone. Nor do I see how a man wearing a dress and a woman wearing a suit can be the worst thing to ever happen. In reality, I’d probably be jealous because of how cool everyone’s appearance is, no matter what. I always wanted to meet lesbians, non-binaries and other trans people and now I have. But if Trump only recognizes the males and females as the two only genders, then that would take away some others’ comfort who feel safe while not being a man or a woman. Some people identify themselves as both male and female while others identify themselves as another gender.
While I was still unaware of what “LGBTQ+” was during freshman year of high school, I learned quickly that Pride Month is a time when anyone can be themselves. I then began to notice representation in television shows like “Clarence,” in which one character has two moms that no one found any problems with. Hell, if it weren’t for the fan fictions on Wattpad and my school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, who knows if I would still be alive right now. During my sophomore year, I fell into a depression because I had trouble socializing. It was also during that time where I developed isolophobia and anthrophobia. When I first joined the GSA, I barely spoke to people. I still don’t, but everyone made me feel welcomed, showing how they care for me. By the time I graduated from high school, I ended up being myself and also being friends with most of the kids in GSA.
There are actually more than two genders and we should respect that because accepting that there are those beyond the binary can do more comfort than harm. The best we can do is not mind the choices of other people. Now, I’m not saying we should ignore someone who’s willing to be violent. I’m saying no harm can be done by being yourself. Whether we have a gender or not, we’re all on equal ground. Who we are does not define advantage or disadvantage. We all have a choice to do what we choose to do. No matter what gender you are, we’re all the same and equal person. No inequality.
Yorumlar