 I encountered a boy on the internet about a year ago.We soon became good friends, because our age and hobbies are almost the same. So I sometimes asked him for advice. One day I got an E-mail from him, which astonished me greatly. He was suffering from GID (Gender Identity Disorder). That means, he is a boy, on the outside. But, not a boy, on the inside. I was really surprised and dejected to find out that I knew nothing about him. GID is totally unfamiliar to me. And even now it is still unthinkable and unacceptable. I tried to understand him and decided to support him. He was deeply grateful for my intention. Now I was so happy to be able to share his feelings. After that, he confessed his secret to his other friends on the Internet. All of them understood him and expressed strong support for him. On the other hand, he couldn’t spill the beans to his classmates or his family members. He was so much afraid that everybody would see him with scornful eyes. I sensed his feelings, so I couldn’t say ‘Never mind! No, problem at all! In fact, nowadays our society is gradually tolerating GID. For example, a new law for GID has been enacted. Maybe you even know, some professional singers or celebrities who have come out about their GID. Viewers are somewhat perplexed but they welcome them even with GID. Now, imagine you had a GID person in your family. Are you ready to accept them? Or if you were born with GID, how could you live in discrimination? Is it such a simple matter? These days a lot of TV programs featuring GID are often aired. Thanks to this, the number of people who regard GID as just one of the illness that many people are suffering, is increasing.  But, still many people don’t understand it and aren’t willing to accept it.Luckily for me, through our relationship, it was relatively easy to understand. Before communicating with him, I discriminated people with GID. But he taught me that he is just the same as us. What’s the difference between GID people and other people? Nothing is different. He’s just an ordinary person. As simple as that. He hopes to lead a peaceful daily life like other people do. Everybody is different, character, way of life, way of thinking, face, hobby, sense of values, etc. |
| 2008/10/04 |