fuckyeahftms:

danyal-the-gay-wonder:

fuckyeahftms:

about the ftm character adam on degrassi.

warning: the bathroom scene shown in this video is really fucking upsetting. it could be triggering. 

Makes me glad I didn’t come out in highschool.

I think what the show is doing, depicting some really horrible transphobia and violence, is extremely important because people need to see this. At the same time, I’ve met guys who came out in high school and had really positive experiences, very unlike what is shown here. At trans conferences and the lgbt center in my city I’ve even met trans kids in middle school who thankfully did not experience anything like this. So while showing this is definitely necessary (in my opinion, because this DOES happen) I hope people don’t watch the show and think this is what happens to all trans people who come out in high school. Personally I really wish I had come out earlier, but I was scared and confused and didn’t have any resources. Luckily thanks to the internet and especially sites like youtube that is changing and now people have more resources. Another point I’d like to make is that unfortunately for a lot of transfolk, whether they come out and transiton when they are a teenager or an adult doesn’t make a difference in terms of violence and transphobia they may face. For example I’ve heard some people say that coming out in college is “the best time” to transition, but I think that’s a bit unfair because everyone’s trans experience is so unique. I recently met a transguy who came out at his “liberal” university and had some horrible experiences with harassment when using the male bathrooms on campus. So unfortunately sometimes college can be just as bad as high school or worse, depending on the situation and what people you run into. Ending on a positive note, I am really hopeful that Degrassi is going to do something great for trans visibility with this character. 

I think Degrassi is already doing something great with this character. They’ve worked really hard to achieve an accurate portrayal of a trans teenager (noting that by accurate I do not mean universal), and to give that character a really honest storyline. It’s opened a lot of dialogue everywhere, and undoubtedly had introduced thousands of teens to the concept of being transgender. I think that this show will result (and possibly already has resulted) in a bunch of new trans allies.