In a time when trans people are facing a conservative cultural backslide in America, from the legal definition of gender being changed to only male and female to trans folks’ legal documents being marked with their assigned genders at birth, one cis woman’s perspective on trans existence is providing a bit of comfort to trans women on TikTok.
In a video that’s garnered more than 360,000 views and 103,000 likes, TikToker Alexis Rose (@travelingnurse) broke down why cis women should not only accept trans girls, but ought to look up to them.
“I will always, always, always stand up for the dolls,” Rose began. “Always. Till my dying breath. And I will never understand the girls that don’t. I truly think that trans women are the best of us.”
“Not only do I not think that they take anything away from my experience as a cis woman, I think that they are actually one of the purest forms of womanhood, and highlight some of the most beautiful parts of womanhood,” she continued. “Because what do you mean that in our patriarchal society, you are going to throw away all of the privilege that you have as someone that was born a man and choose girlhood, even when it means you have a life expectancy of 40 and you instantly become the most at-risk woman in your society?”
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That sentiment of choosing womanhood, Rose continued, is something she wholeheartedly continues; it’s just a choice that she, as a cis woman, has never had to make.
“They’re exactly right. I would choose my girlhood at knifepoint, every f*cking time,” she said. “And the fact that we have a group of women who are all risking their own personal safety, just to have the gumption to say, ‘No, I am a woman, and here I am,’ and we’re not standing behind them in unison is crazy to me. Like, that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
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To end her video, Rose spoke to any transphobic women who insist that trans women aren’t actually women, pointing out that trans women aren’t blind to the oppression they’ll face once coming out.
“They’re not stupid. They see how y’all are treating the other trans girls, and they’re still coming out,” she said. “Every day we get a new one, and it’s f*cking beautiful. They’re still choosing girlhood, even in the f*cking face of all of this. Despite all of the horrors, they’re still choosing girlhood. I think they’re the best of us.”
“How does any woman see someone fighting that hard to be one of us, and your gut reaction is to call them a man?” Rose continued. “No, babe. They’re more woman than you will ever be. They had to fight for their life in order to call themselves one.”
In Rose’s comments section, trans folks praised her for providing a bit of light in the darkness of our current political climate.
“Getting this on my feed today instead of another horrific headline meant a lot🥹❤️,” one commenter wrote.
“Thank you so much 😭,” commented another. “I’ve [never] felt this emotional about someone talking about trans women in a long time and I’m so thankful to be one of the dolls that inspires you ❤️thank u 🥹.”
“I praise you because you are woman enough to know we don’t take BUT add to the divine feminine!! 🏳️⚧️💕” echoed a third.
Another trans commenter said that Rose’s video hits the nail on the head when it comes to transphobia. “This is EXACTLY why we’re so uniquely hated,” she wrote. “We do exactly what patriarchy hates.”
One trans man also commented, saying that even though Rose wasn’t speaking directly to him, her love for transness was still incredibly moving. “Hearing you say ‘they’re one of the purest forms of women’ made me feel so much emotion,” he shared. “It’s not every day we hear cis people think we’re even really who we say we are much less this 💕.”
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