YES! Another Dear Just Me!!!
2015 is the year I have seen more cadavers, attended more funerals and gone to more cemeteries and crematoriums than I ever have in my entire life!!!
This time around it was a grandaunt.
My grandfather's sister.
She's someone the paternal extended family has been close for the longest of time.
After my parents moved out of my grandmother's house I didn't see much of her but she was still close to the family.
God bless your soul granny.
The rant on the other hand is related to a scenario that transpired during her funeral.
I discovered, at the funeral, that a second cousin of mine is a transwoman and just started transitioning; she was there too.
Now, my family members are very VERY pro machismo.
Men NEED to act, behave and dress like men, play and watch sports, and be interested in cars.
"Men" (and I use that term loosely) like that are looked up at.
They are revered, hero-worshiped almost.
So while standing around with my first cousins I started hearing the taunts and laughs; all directed at the poor girl.
Announcing how she is tied to the family, i.e., "It's so and so's son." all that came after that was laughter.
They just laughed and laughed at her; she was obviously not in close proximity to listen to all of this rubbish.
To call them juvenile and idiotic is and insult to the very notion of being juvenile and idea of idiocy.
These people have university degrees for God's sake!
I tried to not listen to what they were saying.
I didn't speak up either because knowing what I know, these people will never change.
I have been at the receiving end of such harsh words, many, many, MANY times when I was young and was nothing but myself.
"Why don't you go outside and play with the boys."
"Why is this boy always in the kitchen like a girl."
"Come on, act like a boy! Don't be such a sissy."
"Not interested in football? Don't like sports? What kind of a boy are you?"
"What are you doing??? Can't you just walk like a guy???!"
Just FYI, these weren't insults by strangers. These were all insults by relatives and some by the family.
It is a fairly strong anger/depression trigger for me.
I don't think any of us transgender (me being gender-queer) people ever get over the trauma of being teased like that but often we grow up and out of it.
As time went by I have been able to mask my demeanor and fit in, making my life a little more tolerable, however, that does not make situations like this one any easier.
To try and reason with them is a battle I am not ready to fight, for the sole reason of not wanting to hurt my parents if ever the issue was to get out of hand.
Oh well, karma will be the ultimate bitch here!
I'll just have to sit back and watch how their lives unravel!
