On the Inside

    Everybody has that inner person.  Some people acknowledge their inner person... in secret, or openly.  Others deny theirs in shame and denial.  Many have talked about someone else's inner person:  "He's a scared little boy on the inside."  "Inside, she's a brave young woman, waiting for her time to shine."  But, what do we really know about another person's inner-self (soul) when most of us don't even know our own inner-self.  We're only still learning that a person's soul may not resemble what the world sees.  In fact, I believe we all know someone with a beautiful soul who may not be so pleasant to look upon.  But, their soul is so beautiful, so inspiring, that we tend to overlook their physical appearance.  On the opposite side of that coin, we have all at least seen someone who was beautiful to look at, mismatched with a hideously ugly soul.

    Why, then, do we struggle to recognize that someone whose physical appearance may be male could have a soul that is not?  Or a physical female housing a male soul?  This is at the very heart of being transgender!

    A person's gender is an inner sense of self; a part of one's metaphysical soul.  But, the human race is so arrogant in its ignorance, we refuse to believe that gender is separate from sex.  Let alone, acknowledge metaphysicality.

    I remember in my youth, any time I would fill out a job application, I would see the query, "Sex", and be given the option of male, or female.  Today, on any formal paperwork you fill out, you're asked for your gender which is followed by the option, male or female.  If one were to mark female, while the physicality shows male, they would be looked at as being of dubious mind.

    Gender is not a costume, or a role.  It's an identity; a truth that precedes language.  A knowing that defies external proof.  That's why it's so difficult for society to embrace those of us who identify as transgender.  Most people are so challenged of mind they can't begin to understand the metaphysical.  This should be a no-brainer for people of faith.  I mean, religion is a study of the metaphysical.  But, they're made to believe that only what they're taught from the pulpit is truth.

    Reductionist views tend to treat gender as psychology or social construct.  But, framing it as being of the soul challenges those limited mindsets.  It affirms that trans people aren't confused, or pretending.  Rather, they're expressing a deep... soul-deep... truth that deserves reverence, not scrutiny.