Final day of #TransLoveNov - Self-care, self-love

Courtesy of Mikki Vargas

Perhaps it's become a cliche to bring in Audre Lorde's epic quote on self-care, but this is one cliche that cannot be oversstated: "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." As trans and gender nonconforming people, especially TGNC folks of color, our bodies and our selves are often in the crosshairs of political warfare. Countless times, we have been used as wedge issues in elections, as tokens that are patronized only when our presence makes cis people and institutions look good, and as the bodies which cishet men violate and take out their insecurities and internalized hatred on. So caring for ourselves and loving ourselves is radical. Our existence is radical. Our healing is radical. Loving each other is radical. So I choose to work on loving and caring for myself better, so I can love and care for my trans and gender nonconforming siblings better.

With love and in solidarity
#TransLoveNov