Flesh and Lonely. The Fear bubbles up out of him as he speaks, makes it hard to abide Gerry's eyes.
"Don't let them laugh," Gerry says seriously. "Let them know that if they laugh at you, they aren't your friends. You are who you were meant to be. You do not owe them anything. Not your family, not society, not the army, not other men. You owe yourself a good life. One where you are you and no one else. One that you can be proud of."
A beat, thoughtful. Then, an open book. Pages tear away from cracked spine, hiding nothing. Exposing the thread and glue.
"I was born in a body meant for a girl. There are still people who think I ought to be one, and everything that comes with that. Honestly I think my mum hated me for not being one. I even still do things that people expect girls to do. I paint my nails, put on makeup, wear my hair long. I like men and women both. And I am a man. You know why? Because I've fucking said so. Fuck anyone who tries to tell me otherwise. I have nothing to prove to anyone who thinks they can put me in a bloody box. And neither do you. You don't have to prove you're a man by acting a certain way or liking certain things or rejecting things you like. You are because you've said so. Anyone who laughs or complains can choke on it."
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"Don't let them laugh," Gerry says seriously. "Let them know that if they laugh at you, they aren't your friends. You are who you were meant to be. You do not owe them anything. Not your family, not society, not the army, not other men. You owe yourself a good life. One where you are you and no one else. One that you can be proud of."
A beat, thoughtful. Then, an open book. Pages tear away from cracked spine, hiding nothing. Exposing the thread and glue.
"I was born in a body meant for a girl. There are still people who think I ought to be one, and everything that comes with that. Honestly I think my mum hated me for not being one. I even still do things that people expect girls to do. I paint my nails, put on makeup, wear my hair long. I like men and women both. And I am a man. You know why? Because I've fucking said so. Fuck anyone who tries to tell me otherwise. I have nothing to prove to anyone who thinks they can put me in a bloody box. And neither do you. You don't have to prove you're a man by acting a certain way or liking certain things or rejecting things you like. You are because you've said so. Anyone who laughs or complains can choke on it."