A Post from A Coworker

What follows is a Facialbook post, written by David Feldman.  He is a former co-worker of mine from the book store.  I read this and I cried.  I had no idea he felt this way.

And his description of the pre-transition me is spot on.

I reproduce it here with his kind permission.

The reason I'm posting this is as a reminder to myself that ALL who transition are examples of the Community to the world at large.  They see the community through us.  I remember once being told, when I was pledging the fraternity, that we would always be an example- that people would form opinions of the fraternity based on OUR behavior.  And I also applied that to Penn State.  If you follow the logic.

So, here is the post, unedited.  Thanks so much David!

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I am getting so tired of the debate about Caitlyn Jenner being a hero. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so let me share mine.

The definition of 'hero', according to the Merriam -Webster dictionary is as follows:

'a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.'

Question: Is Caitlyn Jenner admired for a great or brave act or fine quality?

My answer: Yes

Therefore, Caitlyn Jenner is a hero... to me.

In addition, I personally know someone who has faced the same decisions that Bruce Jenner had faced. His name was Lance. I learned of his dilemma after returning from a 3 month sick leave. He made the same choice as Bruce did.

Lance was very unhappy. He was not an easy person to be around. As a matter of fact, there were times when I avoided him.

When I returned to work, before I was allowed onto the sales floor, I was asked to read a lengthy letter, written by Lance.

I will not go into details about the letter, only to say I was not overly surprised by who the author was.

I approached the person previously known as Lance and I said "I just read the letter you wrote, and I have to tell you, I have a whole new respect for you".

I didn't see a man wearing women's clothing. I saw a person who was happy to be themselves. She was a totally different person. I no longer avoided this person, but found myself seeking her out just to say hello.

Caitlyn Jenner is a hero, and so is Sophie Lynne.

I learned that what a person wears, or how they talk isn't important as long as that individual is happy with who they are.

For those people who are mocking the TG community, remember this...

They are the same as you and me. They work, they eat, they feel, they dream. The only difference is they are now happier with who they are. Can you say the same?