When I was younger, I remember seeing a piece on 60 Minutes or 20/20 or something along those lines that interviewed and talked about some transgender people. Being old enough to understand the concept of mental disorders as well as physical ailments, I felt shocked and sad for these people. What must it be like, I asked myself, to be in the wrong body?
Personally, I never felt like a traditional girl -- I played softball, I didn't like the color pink, I hated wearing dresses, and I didn't seem to get along very well with girls my age. In middle school, largely because people frequently asked me if I identified as a lesbian (though it much less nice terms), I wondered if I was gay (I am not). And, as much as I did not, a the time, identify with traditional feminine culture, I determined I was not transgender. As a straight, now more-traditional female (likely thanks to the birth control I take for PCOS, which regulates my wacky hormones a bit), I can only imagine the suffering individuals who identify as transgender or gay (or however else they may identify, on or off the spectrum) must have gone through.
Since going to college, I have predictably and fortunately met more people who have been able to educate me about the more confusing parts of gender identity disorder and sexual identity. I am still far from understanding all of it, and I don't think I ever will, nor do I believe it's fair to ask that I do. In fact, one person's experience as a transgender individual is probably entirely different from another's in many ways and therefore there are different feelings and beliefs throughout the LGBTQ (plus -- it seems there is another letter added every day, and rightly so, though from this point forth, please understand that I mean LGBTQ to stand for everything and anything) are different. In any case, I consider myself to be an LGBTQ ally and am always eager to learn more about any individuals I meet who identify as such, both because I care, and because I am fascinated by their stories, which are frequently difficult stories. I am justly fascinated simply because they survived.
The internet has made life for those in the LGBTQ community easier in some ways and more difficult in others. Today, I opt to focus on the positives the internet has brought to the LGBTQ community. First, the internet is an excellent source for support and information. Places like Tumblr, blogspot, and Pinterest, including individual forums and your basic websites can offer both people to support you and people to inform you (though, like with everything else, you must take the information with a grain of salt and do your homework if you want to be accurately informed). The internet is a place to provide advice, a place to be serious and be taken seriously, and a place to be light-hearted.
Most importantly, the internet provides a community. Although there are geographical locations that tend to be LGBTQ friendly, not everyone has access to these places (because of age, financial situation, etc.). In having the ability to reach out to this community, people are able to accomplish amazing things.
Today, a Facebook friend posted a link to this article. Not only are the (transgender!) models beautiful, but the product is beautiful. Chrysalis, the company which created this line of lingerie, has done an excellent job, at least as far as I can see in this article, catering to a people who desperately need catering to in a world where the masses, the media, and the shopping opportunities are against their odds. As a product made by transgender individuals for transgender individuals, it stands out as something that could trigger a revolution. Should the product become a big enough seller (and I see no reason why it should not), I can see larger designers and corporations taking on this concept and contributing to the LGBTQ (specifically transgender) community.
Of course, with the backlash experienced by companies such as Nabisco for a campaign on Oreos done some months ago, some corporations may not be ready for the potential loss of customer loyalty. However, if they are not ready for this step, Chrysalis certainly is. Furthermore, I imagine Macy's may be interested in taking this on, as they made waves with their advertising methods (I believe last Mother's and Father's Days). Upon a bit of research in Macy's, it seems they are rather LGBTQ friendly -- check out this page on Macy's website.
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