Why can’t queer people just exist?
A transgender teen talks about life in small town Texas and the need to be EDITOR’S NOTE: The following essay was written by J, a trans-masc student at a Breckinridge, Texas, high school in teacher Jed Cottle’s history class.
Students were asked to write an essay on a contemporary global issue such as LGBTQ issues, mental health issues, school safety and so on.
Cottle provided this essay to Dallas Voice with the permission of the student. The essay has been edited for space. For years I have wondered why, as a society, we have decided that people are not allowed to happily live their lives without facing criticism, prejudice and discrimination — especially when it comes to minorities such as the LGBTQIA+ group as a whole.
As someone who is part of this very diverse group, it is taxing to deal with such immeasurable amounts of hate every day, both in real life and online.
