I was an 80s baby and we didn't have a lot of vocabulary to describe ourselves like we do today. Although no one should put themselves in a box, these terms make it easy for you to explain yourself to other people.

I would want my younger self to know that I'm not as weird as I thought I was, that there are other people like me, and as things progress in the world, it will be easier for me to describe myself and to help express who I am.

As someone who’s living in California, I'm in a relatively safe state for trans people. But it's sad and disheartening to see what’s happening in other states with their legislative attacks on trans people and youth.

All across the United States, we are worried, scared, and in despair. As an older trans person, I get to show them that "It gets better" (to take a Trevor Project term).

My partner and I go live on TikTok every Saturday night to talk to trans youth, because by representing myself in front of trans youth, I can show them that they might be in a bad situation, but they can get out of that and grow.

I would like to let any trans people or gender non-conforming people out there know that there are people that care about them. They are loved. We don't have a lot of privileges. But one of the privileges we have is that our community has chosen family.

No matter how anybody treats you, you have a chosen family who will love and support you. Keep searching. Keep fighting.

[As told to @Ragi Gupta — continued tomorrow]