i think, part of reason it took me so long to realize i was transgender, was that every instance of transness i saw was white, mostly white women. i could not identify or relate to this kind of transness , so i thought, "i must not be one." whenever asked why i liked feminine more, i would always think, "mainland people are more expressive. men can be more androgynous there ," and shelved the thought away. so when i saw asian trans girl, seeing them and finally understanding, "i can do this too, there is a place for me in this idea," was eye opening. there are spaces for us, even if we have to make them.
i think non trans, and sometimes white trans, dont understand just how powerful diverse representation is for ppl like me. there are many other japanese american out there, many other ethnicity too, that if only they heard this message, if only they knew people like them could have it better, could explore themselves, might be in better place, might be happier or more confident or even just alive. i think of this a lot