In the earliest days of what would eventually become my transition, within weeks of my first coming out to the person who would become my spouse of 29 years and counting, I was handed a gift box.
In it was a small item of jewelry, presented both to show her love for me, but also to acknowledge my gender. I don't wear it often — to be honest, I would fear losing something that precious to me — but it remains one of the best gifts I have ever been given.
It was a simple but very powerful gesture that helped show that I was cared for, no matter how I chose to express my gender.
We have, at long last, reached the holiday season. It's that final month or two of the year when the right tells us that the left is somehow going to ban Christmas