Thread by @cmclymer

Trans is beautiful.
Trans is natural.
Trans is authentic.
Trans is powerful.
Trans is honest.
Trans is enduring.

I am proud to be a woman, proud to be trans, and proud to be queer.

Tonight ends #TransAwarenessWeek, and it's because of other advocates I can say the above.

I don't know where I'd be without transgender pioneers, without the queer community and its advocates, without allies who are resilient and unapologetic in their support, and without my friends who have been my rock since coming out.

We sadly live in dramatic times, and I really wish we didn't. It would be much easier and funner to not have to worry about what next month brings with this White House. I would love to be "Charlotte, that interesting woman who, if you get to know her, also happens to be trans".

It is really not fun to be "That's a transgender woman whose name is Charlotte and happens to be all these other things."

The reason we show Pride is to remind ourselves and others that we have every right to be in the public square and no space open to others is closed to us.

I don't want to be celebrating #TransAwarenessWeek and stating things that are quite obvious to me, so obvious that it almost hurts to say them because If I don't say them, they may not be real next week. I celebrate because others celebrated before me to pave a way.

I celebrate because there are others--across every nationality, religion, creed, race, every nook and cranny of humanity--who are trans and will need to come out and need to see others out. Just like I did. How lovely it would be for trans to be as ordinary as cis. I pray for it.

So, all the things up top--beautiful, natural, authentic, powerful, honest, enduring--these things are all true, but if I and many others don't speak them into existence, who will see them?

Anyway, that's #TransAwarenessWeek. Grateful to allies who get that. /thread