Thread by @shelliejelly

Chase is one of the best advocates around trans youth. Kelly helps me think more deeply and critically, sharpens the self-reflection necessary for me to get clarity on my own person.

I'm the parent of a trans son. I need you committed to this fight.

#ProtectTransYouth

https://twitter.com/MsKellyMHayes/status/1536673510638198784

So much of this work (for me) was/is steeped in facing my own fear and ignorance, my blind spots and subconscious bias.

The self-reflection necessary to be able to show up effectively for communities you care about can be scary work.

Nobody wants to believe they can be awful.

Advocacy isn't about telling people you've got their back or you stand with them, especially if when the chips are down you won't (or can't).

Advocacy (for me) is about looking at myself and admitting that maybe most of my entire worldview is wrong.

medium.com/here-after/whe…

That is scary shit. Nobody is denying that fact.

You will, especially if you are embedded or born in communities (white/cis/heterosexual) that are privileged and have dominated the social and political landscape for centuries, likely unearth some horrible truths about yourself.

That was me.

Was I a horrible person? No. But I was not equipped to be a true advocate for anybody, least of all my trans son.

The work I do to be a better person for my son and the larger world is some of if not the most important work I do today.

And it's all done *on* myself not *for* myself. (Where *for* indicates pure self-interest).

I read. I listen. I read. I follow people. I read. I listen.

I think very critically about how my own experiences have shaped how I experience the world.

Then, I work on deconstructing my internal worldview, adjusting and readjusting as I learn and get clarity and things change.

This work doesn't happen overnight. It is a commitment that is lifelong.

But because I do this work on myself, I can look my son in the face.

I can honestly tell my community, local, global, that I will show up for them.

I'm not saying I don't still make mistakes. (I make plenty). I'm not saying I show up all the time in every way every person needs me. (I can't).

But I am committed to doing what I can with what I know and learn and have and understand for however long I am on this small blue marble with you all.

#ProtectTransYouth