100 Reasons Why I Love Being Transgender

1. I am 100% self-aware.
2. I look forward to my life now.
3. I no longer feel the urge to die.
4. I am comfortable in my body.
5. I am comfortable in my mind.
6. I am comfortable in my spirit.
7. I get to live as my authentic self.
8. I enjoy waking up in the morning now; for decades, I did not.
9. I have a uniquely balanced perspective on the world.
10. I enjoy having a designer chest and a fantastic beard.
11. I don’t feel the need to conform to anything.
12. I have become my most successful project.
13. I get to look in the mirror now rather than avoid it.
14. I have accomplished one of life’s hardest undertakings.
15. I have confidence.
16. I am not a people pleaser.
17. I stand up for myself and others.
18. I get to experience my life as it was intended to be.
19. I am a catalyst for people to better themselves.
20. I leave transphobes speechless, often.
21. I get to see what it’s like when you do not give up on yourself.
22. I get to inspire others to be themselves.
23. I get to show cis men what true intersectional feminism looks like.
24. I have dispelled any myths about my tenacity, determination, and resilience in the face of adversity.
25. I have fine-tuned my approach to becoming resourceful.
26. I have fine-tuned how to clock people’s poor behavior and how to call them out on it.
27. I get to advocate in the media for my community’s human and civil rights.
28. I get to be the villain in many people’s stories, but the hero in my own.
29. I have proved that all those who underestimated me were wrong to do so.
30. I get to show trans kids that you can be strong.
31. I get to show the world that a gay trans man can keep going.
32. I can speak to identity in a way that helps others become more at ease within themselves.
33. I get to share what I have learned with other transgender people early in their transition.
34. I get to experience consistent growth and personal development.
35. I am an example of someone who can undertake a long-term goal and both meet and exceed your wildest expectations in life.
36. I made my childhood dream a reality.
37. I am strong.
38. With great struggle comes great wisdom.
39. I have become the best version of myself.
40. I have self-worth.
41. I have developed a strong strategic voice in terms of activism.
42. I get to show others that it is possible to overcome self-hate.
43. I get to show people that being transgender is a strength.
44. I have no shame and cannot be shamed.
45. I am empathetic and compassionate toward others’ suffering.
46. I have had to cultivate many survival skills and rarely stay down, if ever, for long.
47. I have mental and emotional endurance that I am now understanding far exceeds that of most.
48. I am skilled at tackling daunting tasks and delivering undeniably successful outcomes.
49. I am a big-picture thinker and often pick up on details that most overlook.
50. I get to experience a form of second youth that few will ever enjoy.
51. I get to help work to further destigmatize my community by simply using my voice as my power in the media.
52. I get to feel physical joy within my body.
53. I get to smile.
54. I get to laugh.
55. I get to walk with my head held high.
56. I get to be the example that may help save someone else’s life.
57. I get to inspire others.
58. I get to motivate others to grow and be better people.
59. I get to show people that no matter what people say or do about you, you are the master of your own life.
60. I get to have conversations with others that make them feel seen.
61. I get to have conversations with others that make them feel heard.
62. I get to have conversations with others that make them feel understood.
63. I get to have conversations with others that make them feel respected.
64. I get to have conversations with others that make them feel loved.
65. I get to experience unconditional love because I first dared to gift it to myself through transitioning.
66. I get to give unconditional love because I first dared to give it to myself through my transition.
67. I get to show trans kids that you can live to be a trans adult and not believe everything they read about our community and their projected futures.
68. I get to show the world that you can be “different” and that is actually what makes you uniquely special.
69. I get to celebrate when other transgender people win because I know it helps the entire community.
70. I get to meet other transgender people and have safe conversations where I know we will have respect for each other’s identities.
71. I get to give back and to show people that’s how we grow as a community.
72. I get to show people what inclusion is really about.
73. I get to have a lot of fun now because I know I deserve joy.
74. I am proud to represent my community in ways that help empower our collective effort to cultivate equality in this world.
75. I am so proud that I continued living so I could write this list.
76. I am so grateful that my advocacy and communication efforts have helped improve standards of care in organizations that serve the trans community.
77. I get to live the life I dreamt of for so many years.
78. I am grateful for the large scar that I opted for because I am proud to be visibly transgender.
79. I am proud that I am no longer at war with my body.
80. I love being trans because it’s one of the best aspects about me.
81. I love being trans because I didn’t have things handed to me, and in that, I am mentally tougher than many.
82. I love being trans because no one can take credit for this accomplishment of mine.
83. I love being trans because it’s made me hone my power.
84. I enjoy being trans because I am open-minded.
85. I love being trans because I treat people accordingly.
86. I love being trans because it is absolutely something to love, be proud of, and honor yourself for being.
87. I enjoy being trans because of our culture and its diversity, while also being intersectional. I have learned so much about life from other trans people just willing to share their own authentically as I do mine.
88. I enjoy being trans because I’ve aged in reverse.
89. I enjoy being trans because it is not easy, and not just anyone could accomplish what I have and live daily.
90. I love being trans because I’ve changed hearts and minds to become more loving and less hateful.
91. I love being trans because the energy I bring into any situation is 100% real.
92. I love being trans because I’m not the smartest, strongest, tallest, or wealthiest, but I am more of a self-made man than most because I put in the hard work.
93. I get to be an example that people were wrong about their stigmatizing views about transgender people.
94. I get to show the world that it is ok to be trans and that it does not take one single thing away from anyone else.
95. I get to show the world the error of their ways by simply telling my life story. I teach there to treat people with kindness.
96. I love being trans because when I think about what I’ve lived through, I’m damn proud of it.
97. I get to show people that transitioning is a healing journey.
98. I get to show the world that trans people are talented.
99. I get to show the world that trans people have always been here and that we aren’t going anywhere.
100. I love being trans because I have remained true to myself.

I love being transgender. Transitioning saved my life.

What have you done to improve your quality of life?

ABOUT DYLAN THOMAS COTTER:

Rebel with a cause, driven by authenticity, self-expression, and liberation for all.

Dylan Thomas Cotter is a strategist, public relations leader, and brand communications executive with more than fifteen years of experience at the intersection of entertainment, media, and technology.

Cotter is known for securing numerous Tier 1 (top-tier) and Tier 2 media placements across key markets including but not limited to GQ, Rolling Stone, Out Magazine, The Advocate, Pride, Inked Magazine, Real Simple, VICE, KTLA, Reader’s Digest, Mashable, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Life UK, Newsweek, Men’s Health, Parade Magazine, Betches, U.S. News & World Report, Women’s Health Magazine, NursingColleges.com, Women.com, South China Morning Post, Truthout, MIC, The Manual, Curl Magazine, International Business Times UK, TechRound, GB News, The Irish Star US, The Mirror, MSN and AOL.

Cotter is an advisor to founders, artists, and executives on brand positioning, reputation, corporate social responsibility, and strategic communications. As an openly gay transgender professional, Dylan Thomas Cotter is committed to fostering inclusive, respectful, and affirming work environments.

His latest book, THINK LIKE A TRANSGENDER THOUGHT LEADER, is out now, and his memoir, TRANSGENDER & TRIGGERING THE LIFE OF DYLAN THOMAS COTTER, is available now at Barnes & Noble, Harvard Book Store, Book Soup, and Skylight Books, amongst other fine retailers, and is distributed worldwide through IngramSpark.