i dont know if this has been posted before but im really struggling with this. theres so much trans media coverage tv shows and such. i am really sucked into the show i am jazz on tv but whenever i watch it i feel like shit i know i am learning who i am and it takes time but does anyone else feel like this media pressure and visibility triggering. for the past year i have started to explore old feelings that i tried to surpress just like my sexuality i am somewhat out but i have no support when it comes to the LGBT community i used to but ive lost them somehow. i feel really pressured to come out to my family about my gender identity and my sexual orientation but i know its a bad move because one they aren't too accepting and i really arent 100% sure of myself i really do now know what to do. right now i am sticking to the features of the sex i was born with(male) so i have a thick beard and a mustache and as much as i like it i do not feel like i am who i should be i do not feel whole like theres some bottomless void within myself. i really dont have anyone to talk to so please if there is anyone out there that is willing to help i would be greatly appreciative. thanks, dan :help:
I'm so glad you brought this up - I think all this coverage can be a double edged sword While I am so grateful that our community is finally getting more exposure - especially positive exposure, I can't help but think it is also leading to some real frustration for me. Ultimately, it's a good thing - I think it will help society become more accepting and understanding, but personally, it makes me feel worse that I am not more open and feel more like I am living a lie. I feel a little guilty for being in the closet at time like this - like I am letting everyone down by not coming out and setting some sort of positive example. I don't know... does this make any sense to anyone else? In the end, I think you have to just be aware of the influence all this is having, do your best to try to ignore the external pressure, and make sure you keep doing things at the pace that is right for you. Hang in there! (*hug*)
It's gotten to me, mostly because nearly everyone in my circle of acquaintances is conservative on the issue. It feels like the publicity's just made it more likely that someone I know will share a nasty article on Facebook. And I, having no self-restraint, will click the link, read the article, read the comments, and feel angry the rest of the day. Still, I do think it's a good thing that the general public is moving toward acceptance. I hope one day I'll be able to escape the environment I'm in and claim my own identity, but for now I'll just have to cheer behind enemy lines.
I think it's fair to say that the vast majority of publicly accessible trans-related media isn't actually made for trans people. There's not enough of us to actually make using trans people as a target audience a profitable endeavor, and really most of these shows are created for cis people as a sort of "educational" thing even when they hardly ever do that. Basically trans people are "trendy" now and so we're being sold to the public. Trans television isn't made for us, so kinda just alienates a lot of trans individuals from the forms of media that is about us. Also don't feel like you HAVE to do anything. Do what makes your comfortable and what makes you safe. Everyone has their own pace.
