Trans people share small but powerful acts of allyship and it’s just joyful
Trans people share stories of how allies have affirmed them. (Getty)
From random acts of kindness to thoughtful gestures, trans people are the sharing stories of gender affirmation and allyship from cis people that have stuck with them.
It all began when a Twitter user named Jasmine asked her trans followers to share their own “nice little stories”.
She kicked things off, sharing on of her own favourites.
“We had a work retreat with my office,” Jasmine wrote. “The plan was to have a house for the boys and a house for the girls.
“When I said I was fine with sleeping in the boys’ house, all the women in the office looked at me funny and demanded I be in the girls’ house.”
More than 1,000 people replied, with many sharing stories which ranged from small to significant acts of allyship.
Yesterday I checked in a client and she complimented me on my outfit, and when I was checking her out like an hour later she complimented me again said “be sure to take plenty of cute selfies today” 😊
— Maisie Avis: Insufferably Sapphic | 🔞 | $5 OF (@Maisie_Avis) February 22, 2023
When I came out at work, they re-issued all of my past awards with my name on them.
— 𝔸𝕝𝕖𝕒 𝕂𝕠𝕠𝕥𝕫 𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔣𝔞 (@AleaKootz) February 23, 2023
And when I next came into the office they had changed my nameplate on the door.
The nerviousness I had felt about being the first out trans woman at that particular national lab just fell away.
My Dad really came around. I asked him once (he was Catholic) if he thought I would go to hell for being trans. My Dad said “Robin, if heaven won’t take you, I don’t want to go there either.”
— RobinHoodlum (@RobinHoodlum) February 22, 2023
My oldest friend’s wife (also friend of mine 😊) posted an Instagram post for international women’s day about women who inspire me.
— Abi Giles 🏳️⚧⚧♀️ (@abigiles21) February 23, 2023
She included a pic of me from their wedding , which I wasn’t expecting to see amongst the other people. It was so heartwarming to be included
A large chunk of the replies reference supportive relative and friends upon coming out, including elderly family members who immediately accepted their trans relative.
“There’s a little corner grocery run by a Greek family near the house I grew up in,” one person wrote.
“There’s an older woman who works there, who has watched me grow up. She doesn’t speak a ton of English.
“After I transitioned, she just looked me up and down and said: ‘You make good change’.”
A Twitter user named Lilly shared a touching story of how her grandmother showed her unconditional love, despite being unsure what being trans exactly meant.
“Being in her 80s means she’s lived through some less-tolerant times, and since my mother passed away when I was young, she’s some of the only family I’ve got,” Lily wrote.
“This made me cry a bunch.”
Another person wrote: “The first thing my mum said when I came out to her was: ‘I always wanted a daughter!'”
How did this story make you feel?
