I didn't know you were trans!

This is all too common occurrence in my life:

Them "So, what are you studying?"

Me "I am studying Transgender youth in high schools"

Them "Oh! I didn't know you were trans!"

...

What am I supposed to say? "Well, actually, I'm not trans...."

It is not that I'm offended by someone thinking I'm trans. I don't have the "Oh my god do I look like a guy" moment. Luckily, I am comfortable enough in my gender identity to not experience such shallow responses.

What offends me, however, is that people believe that allies would never have an interest in trans youth. It is as if I, as a cis person, should have far too many important things on my plate to concern myself with those people. Only Transgender identified individuals really care about those issues.

Ridiculous.

I count myself extraordinarily lucky to have been a part of the lives of trans youth. These youth are incredible, and I am just a small part of their growth. They, on the other hand, are a HUGE part of mine.

In fact, I believe I have a duty as an ally to stand up for them. Not speak for them; but be a resource to other allies who are too afraid or transphobic to speak to the youth themselves.

And no, I'm not trans.
But thanks for the assumption.

What am I doing?

When I was fifteen, my best friend came out to me at Transgender. Now this in and of itself is no reason to devote years of academic research to a topic. But that one interaction between myself and a person I hardly see anymore has inspired in me a sense of urgency.

Since that ninth grade coming out, I have gone on to work with and for queer (and specifically trans) youth throughout Wisconsin. I am exposed again and again to inequalities in education and increased risk of school violence that these students face every day. I am also witness to their incredible strength, power, and commitment to creating change.

There is startling little research on Transgender youth. Of the limited scholarly articles available, the vast majority deal only with HIV prevention and risk in MTF (male to female) youth. Not only does this address merely one of the multifaceted aspects of the lives of trans youth, but it almost completely ignores FTM (female to male) youth, gender non-conforming youth, genderqueer youth, or other identities within the trans umbrella.

This blog is not going to solve any of the problems faced by Transgender and gender non-conforming youth. But it is meant as a sounding board for people to ask question. share stories, and bring up important issues facing this incredibly powerful population.

Important to remember: I am only an ally. I have never been, nor will ever be part of the trans community. Therefore I can only offer opinions and insights as an outsider. Experience will always trump allyship. Therefore, I welcome critiques on any and all of my topics, language choices, etc.

But please - ASK QUESTIONS. We can only grow and become better allies to each other through learning.

Hopefully, this can help a little.