Xposted from my main personal blog at mallrat.nekoweb.com. Heavy topic today, but I've been thinking about this a lot.
For those of you who don't celebrate Christmas in any capacity, there's a relatively new song about a poor boy who wants to buy a pair of shoes for his terminally ill mother so she can look beautiful when she goes to heaven. The kid doesn't have enough money for the shoes, so the man behind him pays for the shoes. The ending of the bridge says "I knew that God had sent that little boy to remind me what Christmas is all about," meaning of course charity and compassion, especially towards those who don't have as much. It's a sappy song, but the message is overall positive, so I'm not going to tear it down.
Recently at work, I've seen a middle school kid come in a few times with his mom. He is transgender with pride pins galore and he has the full 2005 Hot Topic look on every time--he's so good at it that I could probably take a few pointers from him.
First time he came in he had a big button on his shirt with HE/HIM in front of the trans flag. I immediately made a note of it. A few minutes into the transaction, his mom expresses frustration that her son talked her into buying Monster energy drinks and says "She's only 12!" I can't have that at my register, so I respond with "I can see that HE is 12." Kid gasps and looks at me with eyes like saucers. I tell him "I saw your pin." He quietly says that nobody's ever acknowledged his pronoun pin before and within minutes somehow manages to segue into talking about a Roblox horror ARG he's into. When he and his mom left the checkout area he gave me a giant smile and a thumbs up so genuine you would have sworn you were looking at Naruto Uzumaki. It was THAT energetic.
Saw him again a few weeks later where he bought a single box of Cheetos macaroni and cheese with his spending money. This time he had an ita bag entirely made of homemade pins featuring his own fanart. I asked him about the character and he started talking so fast that I couldn't understand a word he said.
It occurred to me as he walked away in his pink and black Tripp pants that this was what Pride month was all about: giving people who are otherwise misgendered, mistreated, and misunderstood a bigger opportunity to feel like a whole human being. I kind of think we sometimes get so caught up in the spectacle and festivities that we neglect the quieter moments where we can show support, both during Pride month and otherwise.
There's a lot of talk about the commercialization of Pride with major companies cashing in on the queer community with scads of rainbow merchandise, but I personally don't mind it. I think the increasing presence of Pride imagery, even if it's a rack of cheap plastic flags at the local Walmart, sends a clear message: queerphobes OUT. It's a tangible reminder that despite it all, society is moving forward and taking steps to leave hate behind. We've still got a long way to go... but, it's not '05 anymore, either. I think it's great that Tripp pants kid is growing up in a world where no matter what his mom tries to force on him, he can go into a Micheal's and see a "LOVE IS LOVE" canvas print and know not to listen to her. I didn't have that growing up and had to come to terms with my gender the hard way.
Whew! Looks like July is going to be a "big thinker" month from the looks of it. I wish I could take a nap, but I have to go to work now XDDD
TTFN!
For those of you who don't celebrate Christmas in any capacity, there's a relatively new song about a poor boy who wants to buy a pair of shoes for his terminally ill mother so she can look beautiful when she goes to heaven. The kid doesn't have enough money for the shoes, so the man behind him pays for the shoes. The ending of the bridge says "I knew that God had sent that little boy to remind me what Christmas is all about," meaning of course charity and compassion, especially towards those who don't have as much. It's a sappy song, but the message is overall positive, so I'm not going to tear it down.
Recently at work, I've seen a middle school kid come in a few times with his mom. He is transgender with pride pins galore and he has the full 2005 Hot Topic look on every time--he's so good at it that I could probably take a few pointers from him.
First time he came in he had a big button on his shirt with HE/HIM in front of the trans flag. I immediately made a note of it. A few minutes into the transaction, his mom expresses frustration that her son talked her into buying Monster energy drinks and says "She's only 12!" I can't have that at my register, so I respond with "I can see that HE is 12." Kid gasps and looks at me with eyes like saucers. I tell him "I saw your pin." He quietly says that nobody's ever acknowledged his pronoun pin before and within minutes somehow manages to segue into talking about a Roblox horror ARG he's into. When he and his mom left the checkout area he gave me a giant smile and a thumbs up so genuine you would have sworn you were looking at Naruto Uzumaki. It was THAT energetic.
Saw him again a few weeks later where he bought a single box of Cheetos macaroni and cheese with his spending money. This time he had an ita bag entirely made of homemade pins featuring his own fanart. I asked him about the character and he started talking so fast that I couldn't understand a word he said.
It occurred to me as he walked away in his pink and black Tripp pants that this was what Pride month was all about: giving people who are otherwise misgendered, mistreated, and misunderstood a bigger opportunity to feel like a whole human being. I kind of think we sometimes get so caught up in the spectacle and festivities that we neglect the quieter moments where we can show support, both during Pride month and otherwise.
There's a lot of talk about the commercialization of Pride with major companies cashing in on the queer community with scads of rainbow merchandise, but I personally don't mind it. I think the increasing presence of Pride imagery, even if it's a rack of cheap plastic flags at the local Walmart, sends a clear message: queerphobes OUT. It's a tangible reminder that despite it all, society is moving forward and taking steps to leave hate behind. We've still got a long way to go... but, it's not '05 anymore, either. I think it's great that Tripp pants kid is growing up in a world where no matter what his mom tries to force on him, he can go into a Micheal's and see a "LOVE IS LOVE" canvas print and know not to listen to her. I didn't have that growing up and had to come to terms with my gender the hard way.
Whew! Looks like July is going to be a "big thinker" month from the looks of it. I wish I could take a nap, but I have to go to work now XDDD
TTFN!
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