I think I learned from a very early age “an unexamined life is not worth living” so I proceeded in at 46 years to examine EVERYTHING , a brief respite as a child (1-12 years) where I ran free and climbed trees- luckily I had a mother who allowed me to express BETH as the as much bethness as possible.

I always assumed it was like this ..you were born M or F sex, your gender expression was your own, your sexual orientation in our cases– LESBIAN — so all is good right?

But when I saw the pure hate against trans in the L community (long time ago at Michigan woman’s festival) , the constant hate for my son’s Blackness, I began seeing myself as QUEER and even transmasculine though I am learning I really know no others who understand that thoroughly– except Annsofi–and now my friend Carla.

I found a LESBIAN community not just because I love poetry…I love women ! Waaay back when I also questioned the T part of the equation as falling into the BIG BINARY , almost societal pressure as it were—easier to pass as male than it is to truly be a BUTCH.