A Letter From A Conservative Republican Male-To-Female Transgender Woman That You NEED To Read.

For those of you who've followed us since the beginning (can you believe it's been almost 6 years now?!?), and for those of you who've read our book Right for a Reason, you know where we stand on LGBT issues. Recently, I wrote about Scripps College in California changing their admissions policy such that they now accept "non-binary" and "genderqueer" students at their woman-only school.

And in response, I received this letter from "A."  She's not the first transgender conservative to have connected with us over the past few years, and I hope she's not the last. 

Hi, my name is A. I'm very appreciative of your opinions, and the following quote is what motivated me to do a rare thing and reach out and talk about things I only keep to myself:

 

"You know what – I've actually been criticized by other conservatives for my previous posts about transgendered people, where I've expressed my admiration for the courage of transgendered conservatives who've connected with us and who are staunchly conservative despite how ostracized they are by BOTH sides, and where I've expressed my sympathy for how difficult it must be for people to look in the mirror and genuinely believe they have the wrong genitalia.  I really feel for those folks."

 

I'm thankful that finally someone besides me has said the same things that I am hesitant to address. So, with you willing, I'd love to open up about some things and tell some stories. I'll just cut to the chase:

I am a male-to-female transgender, and that's probably the only time I'll say it out right. I don't belong to the LGB world, or the T world, or whatever the acronym is at the moment. It's not who I am, it's only what I went through. I'm a lot of things that are far more important: I'm part of a wonderful family, I'm a loyal friend to many, I'm a compassionate and loving person, I have a good job that I love, I have a well-developed sense of humor, I'm known for my friendliness and approachability, and I'm a conservative Republican.

I have been extremely blessed in my life, despite the hardships I faced, and ultimately overcame. You wouldn't know it though if we met, I'm one of the lucky ones who had made a beautiful transition then immediately disappeared to live a normal life. I'm quite content living quietly, I'm very happy to have tucked that part of my past away neatly in a box, pushed to the back of my closet. Life is good, I am truly blessed and thankful everyday for all that I have! I'm proud of how far I've come as an individual.

Despite being solidly conservative, I've indirectly caught flak from both sides of the aisle. The left thinks I'm a self-hating betrayer, and some on the right think my situation disqualifies me as a "true" conservative. Both are wrong. The bitter viciousness from the left when any of their demographic mascots don't tow the line, is something I could not be bothered less by. That's just what the left does, it's best ignored. What does sadden me though, is when some of my own fellow conservatives imply that because people like me don't fit into every exact criteria of their personal nuances of what conservatism is, my advocacy for personal freedoms, tiny government, low taxes, free markets, less regulations, gun rights, pro-life, free speech and religious freedom for all is supposedly null and void. It's a bit ridiculous, in my opinion.

Also ridiculous is the idea from the left that if someone is gay, or someone like me even, they are automatically in support of all the big liberal political issues. And if you aren't right in line, you just obviously hate yourself. It's too stupid of an assumption to even need to explain why it's stupid.

I had a friend react to my rejection of liberal "values" by telling me "you need to support your people". First of all, "my people" are Americans. I *am* supporting my people, by advocating for policies that defend and restore the freedoms that the left has been constantly chipping away at for decades upon decades in this country. The liberal "values" of big government, high taxes, wealth redistribution, surrogate decision making, market restrictions, contempt for our Constitution, endless red tape, etc., are all antithetical to supporting the well-being of my country and my people: Americans. Including liberals who truly don't understand the harm they've done to every one of us through their naive, misguided idea of what freedom is. I am on their side, they are not!

My eyes never stopped rolling that liberals tried to claim me as their own, solely due to my circumstances. However they managed to link up what I went through with a political ideology of a socialist nanny state is beyond me. My favorite is how they constantly try to make people like me believe that we are victims, that people are actively out to harm us, but we should vote to ban our constitutional right to firearms that could very well save our lives should anything happen.

One of the greatest blessings in my life is that I knew better. My medical history doesn't define me, it's not what makes me the person I am. I'm not a victim, nobody but myself is responsible for my own shortcomings. Nobody is oppressing me except for the authoritarian left in this country, who insists that they're fighting for my best interests by continually violating my rights and the rights of all Americans. Because of the the "progressive" left, our Constitution is becoming a list of temporary privileges, a list that's getting smaller every day. And I hate that part of it is being done in the name of "helping" people like me.

The easiest, simplest explanation of why I'm a conservative, without getting into economic policy, is that I believe that in America where there are limitless opportunities –  attitudes and behaviors ultimately hold people back. Not racism, not sexism, not the rich, not any one of the liberal boogeymen. Attitudes and behaviors cause poverty, cause wealth, cause crime, you name it. The first rule of liberalism is to disregard attitudes and behaviors as a cause of people's problems.

Thanks for reading all this, I’m sorry it went so long. I decided I’d say it once and say it right.

Have a great day, every day.

PS: This quote too rocks:

 

"But I draw the line at this gender fluidity, non-binary bullsh*t.  I have little sympathy or tolerance for people who seem to want to make their own lives and the lives of everyone around them more complicated by claiming that they are gender ambiguous or gender fluid or whatever other ridiculous terms they've come up with.  And the pronouns? OMG don’t even get me started.”

 

My thoughts exactly. I hate all of it, and I love you for saying it better than I could.

 

I responded:

You would be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't!) by how many messages like yours I've received.  And I welcome every one of them.
 

If you want to understand my  compassion for people who've had the same struggle you've had, this would be a good post to start with!  http://chicksontheright.com/posts/item/23880-transgendered-6-year-old-banned-from-using-girls-restroom-at-school

We've switched commenting formats since that post went up a couple years ago, so the comments that came in response to it are not viewable anymore, but suffice it to say we lost a TON of followers that day.  There are a lot of really awful conservatives out there – really judgmental folks who decided I was Satan because I had compassion for a family going through that situation.  And to them I say, "GOOD RIDDANCE!" 🙂
 

I hope so much you have a chance to read our book, Right for a Reason, in which we dedicate an entire chapter to LGBTQIAWXYZ issues. 🙂   So much of what you wrote to me just now – sounds so similar to what we say in our book!

Thank you so much for sharing.  With your permission, I'd love to post your letter on our site (with or without your name).  I love reminding fellow conservatives that conservatism is right for EVERYONE, no matter what their gender, sexual preference, etc.  We'll lose more followers, of course, but we lose them every time I wear a miniskirt too, so whatever. 🙂

Let me know! – Mock

Happily, "A" agreed to let me publish her letter anonymously, and I am hopeful that the collective response from our community will be one of understanding, compassion and respect.  (I say that, of course, knowing full well that we'll lose followers over this, just like we did when I posted the link shared above. And I am completely comfortable with those kinds of losses. )

Conservatism needs a makeover, as we've always said.  And that includes respect for people like "A" – who understands what our brand of conservatism is all about, and expressed it beautifully.