Thread by @NadineThornhill

Today is the Toronto #TransMarch! I hope everyone walking, dancing, wheeling, biking, and marching have a wonderful time!

Meanwhile, I'd like to share some important things me and my cisgender ass have learned from the gender-expansive people in my life.

1. You can be trans without having hormonal therapy or gender confirmation surgery.

2. You can be trans and *not want* hormonal therapy or gender confirmation surgery.

3. Kids and teens are capable of knowing that they don't identify with the gender they were assigned at birth.

4. I almost never need to know the particulars of someone's genitals...and I'm a sex educator!

5. Accepting people's individual relationship to their own gender is WAY easier, than trying to impose strictly defined gender categories on the world.

6. Biological sex isn't binary either.

7. There are a lot of brilliant trans, genderqueer, and non-binary folks. They could be out here curing cancer, or developing a clean, renewable energy source. Instead, they're too busy trying to justify their humanity to the rest of us.

8. There are a lot of regular-degular trans, genderqueer, and non-binary folks. They shouldn't have to justify their humanity to the rest of us either.

9. There are gender-expansive people of every race, religion, ethnicity, ability, and age. It seems absurd that someone had to tell me that, but I very glad they did.

10. Someone also had to teach me that gender diversity has existed since humans have. Again, a person had to actually teach me that and I thank them for divesting me of my ignorance.

11. There is lots of gender/sexual diversity in the animal kingdom. If you want to know more about it, I recommend the book "Evolution's Rainbow".

12. Introductions with names *and* pronouns becomes normal very quickly.

I could go on and on. Thank you to the #Trans folks in my life for educating me. You didn't owe me your time, your energy, or your patience, but you gave it to me anyway. I am forever grateful! #Pride