Your story is so real to me. Thank you for your writing!

I feel so close to you though your writing and yet we have never met. So many pieces of your story could be my own. I started my transition at 40, afraid to claim feminine pronouns, afraid that I'd always be seen as some sort of aberration, a laughingstock. I had so much internalized transphobia to work through, and it blinded me to a lifetime of glaringly obvious signs that I was trans.

I also had a poly partner who said harmful things to me about my gender that prevented me from transitioning for years. I'm dating another trans woman now and discovering how extraordinary it is to be with someone who understands me in a way no cis person ever will. Your writing about your relationships helped her through some difficult things in her personal life, for which we are both incredibly grateful.

I've been following you for most of the last year and wanted you to know how much your words mean to me - thank you for your writing and for sharing your story!