#i'm serious tho i've sent this to all the trans people i know irl

[counsel-by-the-elves]

I have the opportunity to go to a good university, but my legal name and sex don’t match who I am. Correcting people who refer to me with the wrong pronouns feels political. My presentation as a genderqueer person is limited since I can’t transition or even get a haircut until I move out and become financially independent. I find myself turning down opportunities where I would have to introduce myself with my deadname. I feel like I’m showing ingratitude by resenting my body. Even as I type these words, internalized transphobia tells me to shut up about being trans. And an attorney general is compiling lists of people like me – for who knows what purpose.

Stuff we all know: young trans* people suffer from high rates of parental abuse, homelessness, and serious mental health issues including self harm and suicide. For almost everyone in the last few generations, going to college has necessitated taking out large student loans that pile on interest and hurt future credit scores. For trans* youth, who may have trouble finding a job after college due to discrimination, it seems even more difficult. A lot of us, who may not be able to transition yet and face opposition and even hostility from people around us, don’t have much hope.

I don’t have the answers or the solutions. However, I have applied to a university scholarship called TransgenderFirst, available to students in the United States. TransgenderFirst is the first national scholarship exclusively dedicated to trans* students in this country. I’m sure this funding will be of great help to many young people who are trying to make their way in a cisgender-centric world, and I hope TFS can continue giving out scholarships for many years to come. I encourage anyone reading this who is trans* to apply here before 12/31/2022, reblog this post, and if you happen to have a lot of money and are on tumblr dot com for some reason, to support TFS so they can offer more scholarships next year. Thanks for reading and stay safe out there.