We now live in a world where it is totally possible to claim the same word as someone else and completely disagree on what the word means.

“But, like embracing the woman I am, I couldn’t stay back from the allure of the waves. The pull of my trans-ness and queerness, of course, would always be stronger, the strongest impulses I have ever known. The sea, like them, was a place that represented a kind of forbidden love. I needed to overcome my fears or I would feel that I was holding myself back from living authentically.”

A #herocrush isn’t romantic or sexual, it’s about people you admire. People you’d love to work with to dismantle systems of oppression. This year most of my #herocrushes happened to be trans women.

“If you do feel the need to ask if someone is transgender or not, first ask yourself why. Why is it your business? Why do you need to know? And will it change anything you think about this person?”