International Women’s Day takes place every year on March 8th. It celebrates the cultural, political and socioeconomic achievements of women around the world, while bringing attention to gender equality. In 2022, the year’s theme is “Break the Bias” and its intention is to help imagine and facilitate a gender equal world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. International Women’s Day also celebrates diversity, equality, and inclusivity while highlighting the fact that we all deserve to be valued and celebrated and heard.
This year, we wish a happy International Women’s Day to cis women, trans women who have not stepped out en femme yet, trans women who are living their lives in their true gender, genderfluid, non-binary and intersex people. We know that all women continue to suffer discrimination, violence and inequality, and transgender women & gender diverse communities see it more often. Most of all, we know how important it is to be seen, heard, and understood. The Breast Form Store has been exclusively dedicated to supporting our gender diverse and trans-feminine sisters for almost 30 years, and this year, we sent an e-mail and asked for clients to share their stories on what International Women’s Day means to them, and for a chance to celebrate their achievements!
Bea’s story
I got by Beatrice or Bea. I came out as trans over a decade ago but it wasn’t until December 2021 that I was able to begin with my journey.
I moved out of my oppressive household in 2018 into another one and finally in December moved into an inclusive one. Since then I’ve been able to dress in feminine clothes and started wearing forms and using gaffs until I get on HRT and later GRS. Things are still tough but being able to break out of my shell and be who I am has allowed my outlook to improve, slightly.
The fight for gender equality whether Cis or Trans continues. Both Cis and Trans women tend to be fetishized and given the short end of every stick. However Cis women are less likely to be killed for being who they are. Regardless I feel that days like International Women’s Day are important to keep issues of inequality present for both Cis and Trans; pay gaps, sport exclusion to name a couple.
Bobbie’s story
Kindness to everyone including the less enlightened and disrespectful people is just one of the reasons many new acquaintances tell me that I live up to my name, Bobbie Angel. Education of the less enlighten requires patience, compassion, perseverance, and a sense of humor.
Some of the rude remarks and mean comments to Transgender Women in particular, come from a place of ignorance, Inexperience with the real world, or out of political biases. All of these can be remedied by an open conversation. Both parties have an opportunity to listen to each other and communicate honestly with each other.
I will share two such experiences that bring a warm smile when I remember them.
I was visiting a young adult friend of mine in their home and they had a couple of young men that have a religious background visiting too. I was the very first Transgender woman they had met, ever. They were very inquisitive and asked a lot of questions and I answered them by giving them an introduction, Transgender 101 style.
One of the young men asked a question that would cross the boundary of any woman by asking “Are those REAL,” pointing and touching my chest. Most women that I know would have slapped the rude right out of him. I however, saw a learning moment.
I reached inside the blazer and top I was wearing acting like I was searching one of my inside pockets for something. Instead I pulled a 450 gram silicon breast form the bra I was wearing. I then let the breast form fall to the table top next to me and let it bounce and jiggle making a sloping sound as it landed on the hard surface.
The boys eyes got wide because this is the first time they had seen a bare breast in front of them within arms reach.
I said in a matter of fact tone, “Yes, Guys. They certainly are real! They are real silicone breast form.”
The shock of the moment could be seen as I gently informed them, There are some subjects that are too private to ask a transgender woman, and that is one of the topics that is best not asked. They both changed the subject quickly and then left my friend’s home shortly after the discussion. My girlfriend was smiling at me and gave me a big long hug. She told me she could not imagine a better way to get the point across to these two boys that had been her friends from high school.
The second event happened while I was with several of my girlfriend at a bar at a weekly Trivia Night in Meridian, Idaho. We were playing as a team against several others including a group of Rowdy guys who were making cat calls and rude comments to our table of women. We were winning most of the rounds and we were making the guys upset.
One of the guys was able to clock me as Transgender and started to bully me and make rude remarks. That was a big mistake on his part when “The Sisterhood of Allies came to my defense as a united force.”
Needless to say the rest of the men in this guys group thew him under the bus and the women in my group caused him to excuse himself from the bar on short order with encouragement from management.
That is a Girls Night Out I will never forget as the rest of the patroons of the establishment gave us, the group of seven women who are all still my friends today, a standing ovation for winning the trivia night contest that week and for standing up to a bully that show his true colors of being a bigot.
These two events are just a sample of bringing people together and gently teaching a lesson, sometimes with humor and other times with the help of many of my sisters, and gender identity does not matter as almost all are female at birth and some of us have known for a lifetime that we are women. And we support and stick-up for each other.
I am proud to be a woman with a Transgender history that started when I was six years old and I waited until I was 50 years old to accept myself for who I always have been, a woman.
We want to thank both of these brave women for sharing their stories and thoughts with us! Let’s keep working forward to break the bias and celebrate the achievements of our communities and create a world where all genders are equal, embraced and loved.
Both stories here have been shared with permission of the authors. There have been no changes made, with the exception of correcting typographical errors and/or spelling mistakes.