The Path of Gender Enlightenment Curls to an End

Chapter 10: Other journeys begin

As we continued to walk the Path of Gender Enlightenment, we noticed the Path started to narrow and the fields around us began to fill with flowers of all different colors. Suddenly, the Path ended in a swirl of rainbow colors as it turned onto itself — much like it had spiraled out at the beginning of my journey. We could see the swirl was joined by a multitude of other paths from all different directions.

Andi was right from the beginning; it made no difference what path you took, you would wind up in the same place.

We smiled at each other in recognition of what we achieved together. This was our moment. We all sat on the edges of the rainbow circle facing each other. Our smiles radiated the warm affection and friendship we had discovered together on the Road of Gender Enlightenment No words were said because our eyes said everything.

We sat together under that warm afternoon sun.

Emma, a confused biological male with major hints of gender dysphoria. Andi, an androgynous scarecrow who looked damn good in a bra. Neverknow, an opinionated cisgender male crow. Harley, a physically non-gendered tin person with a potentially bisexual focus. Judy, a definitely feminine male lion with cross-dressing interests. Sam, a tough lesbian with a great heart.

All of us were just content to be among friends who understood, accepted and cared for each other with no restraint, just a shared affection and a simple bond.

I would even call it love.

It was perfect.

We didn’t know what came next, but for each of us this was enough for now.

A voice behind us caught our attention. Neverknow looked frustrated and undecided, then blurted out, “OK, I may be cisgender but I am not straight either, dammit. I am attracted to other guy crows. Now are you all happy?”

We all looked at each other and burst out laughing. Neverknow seemed flustered but I could swear I detected a smile… if crows can smile. I even heard him laugh with us.

We congratulated ourselves for making it to the end of the Path of Gender Enlightenment and then sadly realized that we would all go our separate ways. That is always the sad part of a journey with friends, when it is over there is a sense of loss.

But we had learned a lot and even with Neverknow we learned that you never know, so be prepared and be flexible. The world isn’t linear, and that makes life so much more exciting.

What will we do tomorrow, we all thought quietly to ourselves.

Andi seemed to read our minds and answered, “Why start another journey, of course! There are a million choices and so many paths to follow from here.”

Andi was right. All that mattered was, we were together.

I shot a cloud of bubbles into the air, in a celebration that shined rainbows in the afternoon sun.

THE END

Writers note: I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did writing it. It was as disjointed and as varied as my thoughts are right now. I have learned a lot on my own journey. I have come to respect the rainbow of experiences that others have shared with me. I know that my own journey is far from over.

Who knows it might inspire more stories from the Land of Id.

Emma Holiday

In case you missed the first four chapters, here they are:

Additional writers note: If you have read any of my writings on Medium you will have noticed a definite theme: the incredible pain of gender dysphoria and all the difficult aspects of just being transgender.

My writing has three specific goals:

1. Writing is my therapy. I have a very limited outlet for my thoughts so I write to find a way to process the most profound experience in my life. I need to understand and I need to accept myself to move forward.

2. Being transgender, for me, is a very lonely existence and if I can share some of the things that I feel and think as I go through the process of transitioning with others who are transgender and, in some way, lessen their pain and sense of loneliness, then all of this public exposure of my personal thoughts is not a waste.

3. I write to help cisgender people understand that all trans people want is to be simply understood, accepted and treated as a normal person. We are.

Thank you for reading my work.

Please also read: