you know, it makes sense to talk about when older queer people living as themselves inspires younger queers to do the same, but i don’t think we talk enough about how the bravery of young queers can inspire and help older queers, too. like, actually seeing younger trans men who don’t bind and wear dresses makeup and keep their hair long has inspired me to feel more comfortable being a feminine trans man.
actually, seeing young queers who use neopronouns helped me feel more comfortable in using pronouns i genuinely like as opposed to pronouns i feel obligated to use for everyone else’s comfort. actually, seeing young queers who identify as things like gaybians, fagdykes, lesboys, girlfags, and other “contradictory” labels made me feel more confident in being those things, too. there is something to be said about the bravery of people who are just learning how to express themselves fully.
i think we can all take pages from each others’ books. we all have something to learn from and teach each other. of course older queers being there for the younger generations is important, but older queers have a lot to learn from younger generations, too.