Oblivion Blades
Derek Swindle
Was this person ever really trans, or just someone who wanted to turn heads? Does this happen often? I lost a lot of respect for the person, and I'm trying not to lose respect for all trans-people by extension.
It definitely doesn't happen often. The person could be genuinely trans, but afraid of the change, or a cisperson who has issues elsewhere and thought transitioning would fix them, but didn't. We can't know. Figuring out one's gender is an extremely complicated task for many, and combined with other issues pressing on, the fears associated and the stigma transpeople have, it gets emotionally very taxing. It is very much possible the person in question didn't get enough help, either with their identity and transition or with their feeling of insignificance in general. Transsexuals don't transition for attention. I'd gladly take their anonymity in exchange for any potential attention I'll ever gain through this.
edit: Thank you for not labeling us all through one person's errors, for realising that this could happen, and for reaching out to correct the mistake before it happens.
It was an odd turn of events. In a way, they were my "ambassador" for transsexuals, in that I was very ignorant of the subject before I met them, and they were very understanding and informative about it all. To me, they embodied it, and were a good spokesman.
They would speak out on the matter in public, attend events and meet-ups and all sorts, offer help to others (just like people do in this thread, but I don't think they ever joined Gaia), and this was part of their life for a long time. It wasn't something they hid, decided overnight or shyed away from, and I admired that in them.
But yeah. All that has changed now, and it changed a few years back to boot. They're happy as a straight female now. I suppose I should be happy for them, they're in a comfortable position, but they were my anchor to this aspect of the human condition, and ended up defying everything I thought I'd learned from them as if they were dropping a fad that was no longer popular.