sistawendy | News flash: being trans still hard.

I've mentioned here that I've heard from trans kids at Lambert House that some parents have been doing it right, for which I'm deeply happy and grateful. Last night, however, I heard from a young trans boy that some parents, especially those belonging to what are basically old and well-established cults, are doing it very, very wrong. He did nearly all of the talking, and I let him; he was on the verge of tears much of the time. CPS is taking him back to his grandparents' rural home today. It's an abusive situation, but he has no evidence that he can take to the cops or CPS.

This particular boy believes he can benefit from a change in child custody arrangements that would cost only slightly more than what I spent on lunch for my son and myself on Sunday. Lambert House's rules prohibit me from just throwing cash, so I suggested Lambda Legal or other queer organizations. It was the best I could come up with off the cuff.

This morning on Aurora (Foreshadowing!) I was waiting for the bus as usual when a dirty older man who had "substance abuser" written all over him sat down on the bench next to me. Here are the highlights of the conversation as best I can remember them.

Substance abuser: Do you know those guys who dress in drag? [Right around this time he touched me on the upper arm. I cringed.]
Me: I used to.
SA: Are you one of them?
Me: I'm trans. [Senses confusion.] I'm a woman.
SA: You've got a nice body.
Me: [icily] Thank you.
SA: Are you married?
Me: Yes, but not for long.
SA: Oh?
Me: My wife wasn't too happy when I changed sex on her.
SA: How tall are you?
Me: About 5'10". [I stand up, partly to show off my height, partly to get away from the guy.]
SA: Are you going to work?
Me: Yup.
SA: [Something about catching another bus. No other routes run that late in the morning on Aurora.]

No, I didn't lose my shit at the guy, and I'm wondering if I should have. Maybe I did some consciousness raising, but I'm not sure he had much consciousness left to raise. That isn't the first time something like this has happened, and it won't be the last.

Until Seattle banned hourly hotel room rentals, Aurora Ave. was the place to find low-end sex workers, which may explain SA's interest in me. Despite being pedestrian-hostile - it used to be part of the main north-south highway for Puget Sound - Aurora still has more than its fair share of street drunks.

On behalf of all the trans people out there, God dammit God dammit God dammit! This is not a hard concept, guys, even if you have chemically diminished your mental capacity. Do we have to go door to door with clue bats?