Tat, Lili (May 8, 2016)

Dear Miss Elbe;

Please forgive me

In my ignorance

Of your journey

And life.

As The Danish Girl

Unfolds

Before me

A constant stream

Of tears

Stains my blouse.

Finding myself

Needing to write this

In letting go

Of your fears

You have faced

Head on

Lili.

Wish

I could tell you

Society has changed

In accepting us

As the men and women

We are.

Almost

A century later

The pain and stress

Of self-acceptance

And expressing it

Remains

The same.

Giving truth

To our true self

Means death

To our bodies

As the world

Knew us.

Some may call it

Mutilation

On the surgeries

We undergo.

But

Soul peace

Knows no price

We must pay

To experience it.

Even if

It means death

To our physical body.

Therisa © 2016

Author's note: On Mother's Day (May 8), I watched, for the first time, The Danish Girl, the story of Lili Elbe, and her struggle to be true, to herself, in being, the first transwoman, to undergo SRS. In comparison, against today's version of SRS, what Lili faced was barbaric, in the need for multiple surgeries to do, what is done, with usually one operation. Two, if the person has the orchiectomy done first. For more information about SRS, please click on the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_reassignment_surgery

Personally, I felt the film underplayed, the level of homophobic and transphobic violence, in Europe, at the time, considering, it was late 1920s, and the rise of ultra-right wing nationalistic parties, across Europe, as a whole. From my own research, I know that LBGT+ concentration camps survivors were held long after WWII had ended, in jail or the camps, themselves. Otherwise, the film captured accurately, how feels to struggle, with gender dysphoria.

Only wish, our community had talked more about the true bravery, Ms. Elbe showed, in being the first candidate to complete SRS surgery, even though, she lost her life, to it. Only hope, I have your inner strength, when my turn comes around.