I wish the cashier at the grocery store who said, “how’s it going, champ!” when I walked in the door could hear a lower soprano/higher alto voice come out from behind the mask on a body with a messy crew cut and a flat chest and small limbs covered in baggy clothes and not make that small moment of connection with a stranger into either a worried apology or subtle but distancing nonverbal cues of contempt.

I know it’s a small thing to wish for but also it totally isn’t.

Fucking – fortify. Gift yourself all the little things that you need in order to feel safe and comfortable with experiences that are new.

I’m not sorry for being unexpected in a way that makes you uncomfortable but I am sorry that any of us have to feel anything less than safe and okay when we stand side by side.