Tonight I was the guest lecturer for St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. The class is called Social Problems and I was invited to speak by my friend and colleague Professor Donna Gottardi (she’s an awesome lady with a really cool book out about her travels in China! Check out her website: donnagottardi.com). Donna asked me to talk about the different social problems I face as a transgender individual.
The class was so awesome! Really attentive, caring, students who were eager to learn about the triumphs and tribulations of being trans. I told them about my life and different struggles I face. I showed them pictures and explained physical transition. I talked about alternative pronouns and not fitting in with gender norms. I really shared a lot with them and got great feedback. It gave me warm fuzzies :).
The thing that I am most proud of that I think, that amidst all the media blitz of Chaz Bono, I was able to make it clear to them that everyone who is transgender has their own path and we all face our own unique struggles. And I was able to tell them that not every transgender person follows the “typical” path of feeling “wrong” in their body and transitioning simply to the opposite sex. It’s very complicated.
So all in all it was a good night, and now I am at the library, busy at work on a project.
Cheers!
Experimentations in Living 