Here is the day of giving thanks, and I know so many of you are exhausted or disgusted or both, but I feel so profoundly appreciative despite my sadness and frustration and honestly, my outright expectation of gloom, that I needed to note the things in the world that don’t suck.
First, to my mom and grandma who cooked and cleaned and managed the shit out of Thanksgiving Day for my giant family, extended family, invited and loved guests, and anyone who dined at our table. I didn’t know then how much you gave or how much it was worth, and I’m profoundly indebted to your graciousness and service. So many Thanksgivings, so many complicated memories, and they were all inspired and built on the work you did. I can’t even comprehend your beauty or your motivation.
To my queer community, who know firsthand what brutal times we’re living in, and who go on, every goddamn day, to bring peace and light and less shame to all of the souls in this world: thank you for your leadership, your guidance, and your friendship.
My friends of color: you bring all of the things all of the time and I don’t really understand how or why, but you do, and you are life. Thank you.
To my fellow politicos, who run for office or who get out the vote or who do whatever you think is right for our democracy (whatever of it still exists), thank you for believing in a system that so often doesn’t seem up to your faith in it.
My wife, of course, because she is magical and kind of like a unicorn except when she’s a beautiful, tired, exhausted draft horse who just keeps on keeping on and brings joy to everyone who sees her and knows her.
To my fellow artists who seek truth and beauty and honesty and decadence and all the other things that are good in this world — especially those things that aren’t recognized as good at all.
To my students, present and past and future: thank you for worrying about me. When nothing else seems real, your respect for me and what I do absolutely does.
Thank you to the trans community for never, ever pretending not to be broken. You have no idea what you’ve meant to me. With every moment of clarity, of loneliness, of euphoria and sadness, you bring something incredible to the world, to my world. Thank you for trusting me.
Right now I am thankful for anyone who understands that kindness is power, that truth is difficult, that being who you are and what you are is both the most complicated and liberating thing in the world.
Do the good thing, do the kind thing, do the just thing. And every day give thanks that you can.
Love to you all.
“Thank you to the trans community for never, ever pretending not to be broken. You have no idea what you’ve meant to me. With every moment of clarity, of loneliness, of euphoria and sadness, you bring something incredible to the world, to my world. Thank you for trusting me.”
Those words say so much, so compactly. It goes without saying that we can barely fathom and only begin to express how much you mean to us. especially in our brave little band on MHB boards.
But, my God; celebrating our brave/foolhardy brokenness. I’m one of the sanest trans people on Earth and I deal with that brokenness every damn day. I suspect my own motives, I despair over weight, surgeries and vocal register and I keep the odd faith that I am becoming who I am at age 66. Thanks for not just daring us to go deeper, but for loving us as we do.