I may not be part of the transgender experience but I am surrounded by these beautiful souls everyday. Sometimes these beautiful souls don't get the attention they need, so they find people they trust. People of the trans experience are people and it isn't weird. Finding out who you are is a weird experience but everyone goes through it. Just because someone walks down the street in a dress and has a "masculine" face, that doesn't mean that they aren't worthy of that dress. They look fabulous for all you know. Through talking and experiencing life with these beautiful souls, these are things that they would wish society would understand.
1. We are all human.
We are all walking through life as human and figuring out who we are as humans. Figuring out who you are can be as simple as figuring out you prefer vegetables over meat to figuring out that you are in the wrong body. Those who suffer from Gender Dysphoria suffer from a real disorder that can result in them committing suicide. Imagine you were transferred to the other gender and had no idea how to act or feel and there is no way to "change back". How would you feel?
2. Try not to misgender them.
They understand that we all make mistakes, but if they correct you once, please correct your mistake. It may come across as "whiny", but you wouldn't like being called the wrong pronoun. Imagine if someone called you the opposite gender pronoun and didn't correct it, how would you feel? If you continue to misgender them, you just look like an asshole. If you continue to make the mistake, apologize and continue to make the change. There are some that don't like either pronoun. In some cases, you would refer to them as "They/them".
3. Some medically transition and some don't.
Some transgenders can't or choose not to medically transition. To medically transition, you have to go to a gender therapist and obtain an H.R.T (Hormone Replacement Therapy) letter. You would proceed to go to an endocrinologist to get the hormones you need. They monitor your body to so there aren't any adverse effects. When someone decides to transition, it ends up being one of the biggest decisions in their life. It can take some people years to figure out if they may have Gender Dysphoria or are just in the "wrong body". Those who don't medically transition are often the "outsiders" of the transgender community and that shouldn't be the case because they are all in that march together. They are stronger together than they are divided.
4. They just want to use the bathroom don't make a fuss.
According to the Rainn Organization, only 7% of sexual assaults are from strangers. So is this to say that people using their gender assigned bathrooms who happen to be transgenders are going to sexually assault you? More than likely no because they just want to use the bathroom. Transwomen feel safer to use the women's bathroom because they can use the restroom and put on their makeup. Imagine if they used their gender assigned at birth bathroom. That could come across as weird to a lot of people but if men want to wear makeup then they better WERK IT.
The transgender community is made of up of humans that want to live their truth. Its sad that some of us can't allow that to happen despite the evidence that this would make their lives better. All transgenders deserve to live their truth. This list is just a few things that I know that the community wants. This is an opportunity to go up to someone and get to know them. If they happen to be transgender, then respect their boundaries because their life can be so hard.