I’m Also a We

‘For a long time, I was afraid to be who I am because I was taught … that there’s something wrong with someone like me. Something offensive, something you would avoid, maybe even pity. Something that you could never love. I was afraid of this parade because I wanted so badly to be a part of it. So today, I’m marching for that part of me that was once too afraid to march. And for all the people who can’t march … the people living lives like I did. Today, I march to remember that I’m not just a me, I’m also a we. And we march with pride.” – Sense8

This is a quote from a TV show, and the character who says it is a transgender woman who has a wonderful and powerful story of rejection and acceptance. A woman whose own family struggle to accept her as the person she has chosen to be.

You may not be a person who is struggling with your sexuality specifically, it may be that, instead, you are struggling with accepting who you are in other ways. Perhaps you have been given a diagnosis which you feel has trapped you into a perceived identity. Maybe you have lost someone, through separation or death, and feel like you can’t find who you are without them in your life. Or it could be that you relate with the character in the show and you are struggling with your sexuality and/or who you feel drawn to identifying yourself as. With any of these, and many more that I haven’t mentioned, you could feel ashamed, scared, trapped, unsafe, confused. Maybe you’ve been told, or feel, that no one could ever love you or accept you because of how you are or want to be. I want you to know that you are not alone.

While each person’s life is unique and completely individual, there are often aspects that we may recognise in another person’s story. We may identify something similar to our own experiences in the life of another. You are not alone. There are others who are further ahead in their stories than you are. You do not need to be alone on your journey. There are people marching in life’s parade for those who are too afraid to march. Too hurting to march. Too exhausted to march. Too confined by their circumstances and situations to march. They are cheering you on through all the difficulties. You may not feel they are there. You may never get the chance to meet them, but you are not alone. Today there are people marching for you, wanting to walk alongside you, to support you, to take the journey with you, all the highs and all the lows.

We want to walk with you so that you can always remember that you are no longer a me but a we. So that one day you can look back on the journey you have taken and feel pride. So that you can stand and look at yourself and know that you are worth being loved, worth being accepted. Right now it may feel impossible, so let us hold the hope for you, just for now, and let us support you through your march.