Dare to be Different
Dear Garry,
I know you will not recognise my name, and you are wondering why I am writing to you, but I also know that your enquiring mind will want to know what I have to say. After all, it is like your beloved Science Fiction, except that this is real.
The truth is, although you never met me, I know you well. For instance, I know that today, on your twelfth birthday, you are feeling insecure and unhappy - not with your home life, because you have the kindest, most loving family anyone could hope for - but because of your inner confusions. The reason I know this, you see, is because I am you, reaching back in time to you from the future.
Don't worry about why you are failing at school, it is not your fault, you were not given the right preparation for the leap to Grammar School. No-one expected anyone from your Primary School to pass that Eleven Plus exam, but you did it by your own efforts. I can promise you that you will not have to endure for much longer the feelings of inadequacy you are suffering right now. Your current school is already aware of the difficulties you are experiencing, and soon you will be moved to another school that is better suited to your abilities; do not fear that move, it will be good for you.
But your confusion about yourself, that is another thing entirely, and it can only be resolved by you. So let's start by talking about your body.
I remember how you hate having the body of a boy, that you wish you were a girl, and that you push those horrible bits 'down there' out of site whenever you are naked. And you don't enjoy boyish things, like football and fighting, no matter how hard you try. Instead, you prefer to read, draw and watch wildlife. The fact, my dear former self, is that although your body is male, your mind is female; somehow nature mixed things up when you were made, and you got the wrong body. It doesn't happen very often, perhaps only once in each thirty thousand babies.
You feel alone in your confusion, but I want to tell you that you are not alone; there are many others like you, and you can change things if you are brave enough, like they have. Being different is scary, and I know you are trying hard to hide your differences and conform to what everyone expects, but I can promise you that, if you don't change now, you will cause heartache for many people, including yourself, for years to come. Changing now will be hard too, and many people will treat you badly at first, but you will know, the instant you take the first step, that it is right for you.
Garry, dare to be different, take the first step now, don't waste your whole life like I did.
With love,
Elizabeth
