I know from first-hand experience that separating transgender students from their peers can cause many to leave school, hide who they are, or even do the unthinkable.
Nicole MainesRead
I knew that I was trans when I was three years old. Well, I didn't know 'trans' because I didn't know there was a word for it, but I just knew that in my head and my heart that I was supposed to be a girl.
Interpretation
This quote expresses the deep sense of self-awareness and identity from a young age.
Nicole Maines shares her early understanding of gender identity, highlighting a fundamental aspect of one’s true self that can emerge even before having the vocabulary to describe it. This emphasizes the importance of recognizing and respecting individual identities, as well as the journey of self-discovery that many undergo in understanding who they truly are.
In practice
This quote can be used in discussions about gender identity and awareness in educational settings.
I know from first-hand experience that separating transgender students from their peers can cause many to leave school, hide who they are, or even do the unthinkable.
We didn't have anyone to tell us that what was going on with me was alright. There was no information about transgender people when we started our journey, but we managed to make it through because of the tremendous amount of love that our family had.
I think accurately presenting a trans character means not presenting them as perfect - I think there's been a pressure to do this with trans characters. They can have no flaws because they must represent the entire trans community.
When we have a trans woman playing a trans woman, then you see, 'Oh wait, this is what trans really is. This is what it looks like: a person.' That sends a message to trans kids that they are valid in their identities that they are allowed to exist.
It seems only fitting that we have a trans superhero for trans kids to look up to. I wish there was a trans superhero when I was little.
I'm a Black woman and I've always been told that I wasn't Black enough because of the way that I grew up, the experiences that I had.
For a while, I was feeling like I was always playing characters that weren't specifically Korean or specifically Asian, even - that they were characters who were originally written white, and then they would cast me. And I used to consider that a badge of honor because that meant I had avoided stereotypes.
Im Jamaican, man. Im Jamaican first. You gotta understand thats where Im from. Thats home. That you can never take away from me. Im a Jamaican-born Canadian sprinter.
I think, as a kid, turning on the television and seeing that everyone seemed to be wealthy and white made me feel like an outsider, lesser than. I was not wealthy. I was not white.
I don't know what I am if I'm not a woman.
For me, having a gender identity that was different from my sex assigned at birth and that wasn't seen by society felt like a constant feeling of homesickness - that unwavering ache in the pit of my stomach.
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