TDOR does sound like TROGDOR, minus the burninating

I've never written a rant about gay rights because it seems blindingly obvious to me. It's none of your business who another consenting adult loves, or is attracted to, or just wants to have sex with. If you have a problem with gay marriage, or gay love in general, then you are the problem. Get the fuck over it and grow up. It's far more important that we protect the lives and rights of actual living human beings who want (and are owed) the freedom to love without persecution and start families, and get the benefits entitled to them as human beings, than it is to protect some imagined institute of marriage which, supposedly, stands for all sorts of ideals that no one fucking upholds anyway.

The sacredness of marriage is not only a total joke, there's also no reason to suggest that a dude marrying another dude would un-sanctify it in any way. I reiterate: it's your problem, get over it.

What often goes unsung, however, is the rights for the transgender community. They're tacked onto the end of LGBT but are more often overlooked. Most of us knew about Spirit Day, but how many of us knew that Nov 20th was Transgender Rememberance Day? I didn't, and I want to do my bit to get the word out, since this is a subject which is extremely close to me (my ignorance of important dates aside).

My sister is transsexual. She used to be my brother. For some of you, that'll probably clear up an unvoiced question as to why I stopped mentioning my brother and started mentioning a sister you previously didn't know I had. She made the decision to transition in mid November of last year, and announced the decision to me and the others closely involved with her in December. Since then I've watched her become a happy, healthy, radiant and beautiful girl, who has coped with the difficult process tremendously well thus far and still managed to become a wonderful sister to me.

She is the only family I have, but she's also been the only family I really need, and despite dealing with all the problems and complications that such a momentous change brings, has still managed to be there for me and help me through my own difficulties. The change in her goes beyond her sex and gender and has transformed her life, her attitude and her health as well. Having struggled for years with deep depression, mood swings, and numerous suicide attempts (one of which saw her clinically dead for almost a minute in A&E), the difference in her is miraculous. She now seems happy, healthy - although she was diagnosed as an insulin-dependent diabetic, she now takes such good care of herself and her diet, that she no longer needs insulin injections - and to genuinely enjoy life, for the first time in many years.

People who know have asked me if I'm OK with it, if it's weird, and so on. I don't think there's any way I couldn't be OK with it. She's my sister, I love her, and she's happier now than she has ever been. How could that possibly be a bad thing? It's a fantastic thing. Switching pronouns might have taken a little while to get used to, and she borrows my make-up and wants to go clothes shopping a lot (I hate clothes shopping) but what's that, against the happiness of someone I love?

Making the transition is the best thing that has ever happened to her, it's completely transformed her. Having known her when she was he and I honestly thought, two years ago, that he would never find enjoyment or happiness in life, seeing my sister radiant and joyful now is astounding. While I'm certainly not suggesting that all transgender people come from a place of deep depression and are fixed as soon as they switch, I have witnessed the profound affect that the change has had on her, first-hand.
Aside from the blindingly obvious fact that human beings are human beings, entitled to make changes to their bodies and that their gender is no one else's business, so there is no justification for discrimination against any manner of transgender person, for any reason, anyway; if someone is suffering even a fraction of the amount that my sister was, and making that transition could help them, then who the fuck are you to think that's wrong?

How can any decent person with a conscience have a problem with that? I think I just answered my own question.

I suppose the upshot of this is: people are people. Whether they are straight, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, pansexual, transgender or any other variance, it's none of your fucking business, it doesn't in any way effect you and if you manage to be upset by it, then, well, you're an idiot. An intolerant, bigoted idiot and that if we should discriminate against anyone, it should be you, and perhaps we should stop you from marrying other bigots, and raising children to hate people for being what they are, and for wanting to be happy.

My sister is not the only transgender person I know, but I know that she's perfectly happy with me outing her, whereas I cannot say the same for the others. She is a spectacular girl, an amazing sister and I have never been prouder of anyone in my life. It is an extremely difficult, long process, practically, socially and mentally, and I want her to know that she has my complete support, as does anyone else who is going through the same difficult transition, at any stage.

I know you know that when I say "you" in a rant I am usually not referring to you, my lovely readers, but to the subject of my anger in general. That's true, but this next one is actually directed at you. You've overwhelmed me with your support for me as long as we've both been here, and I hope I can count on all of you to give my wonderful sister some of that now.