2026-09-18 00:28 UTC
I think I need to share an experience I just had recently.
I was talking with an elder, in his mid-80s. He was showing me pictures, and showed me his wife’s “grandson” — cue photo of a stunningly fashionable young woman, wow does she know how to dress — “except he's trans, he did his trans-…he transitioned…”
ME: Does your grandkid use “she” pronouns now?
HIM: Yes!
ME: So she's your granddaughter now, I think?
HIM: Yes!!
And he switched to using she/her and did not switch back for the rest of the conversation.
There's more…
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Replies (1)
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@inthehands@hachyderm.io 2026-09-18 00:38
I went out on a limb a bit. I talked about how in the course of teaching college I'd known several students through the length of their transition, before and after — and in every one of those cases, it felt like a weight had lifted, like there was this feeling of “Ah!! •That’s• who you are!” Like when they cleaned the Sistine Chapel, when they lifted this layer of grime away, and suddenly there were all these incredible colors. He grabbed my hand with both of his, looked me straight in the eye, and said with sudden earnestness, “Paul, I agree •completely•. Thank you. Thank you.” 2/