A Letter To My Family: You've Hurt Me!

Dear Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Mother, and Grandmother,
     You've Hurt Me. Throughout the years since I was little. The minute nay the second you realized I was different from your own children. You've Hurt Me. With no Father to protect me from your cruelty and a weak Mother there was no one there for me, but Grandmother. Even Grandmother would do nothing to stop your snide remarks your cruel misgivings. She didn't want to upset the delicate balance of the Family which was and still is on the verge of being torn asunder.
  What Learning Disabilities, or any other Disabilities for that matter, were only made worse by your treatment. It is no wonder that Depression was aloud to set in at such a early age. As these Disabilities which were closely tied in with my Gender Identity took over my life and held me back.
  Held me back! In everything I wished and wanted to do! From sports, to arts, to school, and anything else I tried to set my mind to. The Depression you helped instill in my mind told me NO! With your voices behind it. Your voices that have always taunted me since and said No and I can't from the beginning. I tried to do these things to please you! If you can believe it? I wanted your smiles, your approval! I never received it. I was never encouraged. Grandmother tried and Mother liked what I did occasionally even a Uncle would once in a while say that was good., but it was never enough to lift me out of that Depression. Never enough to get though the Snide comments that would follow from the rest of you!
  Years have passed and I am now an Adult. You still continued, and I remained Depressed and held back. Then I woke up! I couldn't take it anymore not when I realized cousins who were younger than I were starting to do the same as you! Following your example.
  I had already started to shake off your yoke at this point. Finding my OWN music, my OWN clothes, my OWN hairstyle, and making my OWN decisions. So I had a confrontation with a Uncle who called me DIRT to my face and walked back into his house and lied to the rest of the family about it. Not even You Grandmother believed me, and when you finally did you made excuses for him.
  At another Family gathering after much time had passed between such cruelty. You all did it again while Grandmother wasn't there. For you had stopped doing it while she was around. I came to several revelations at this point. I had grown up. You all never will. And the other This Family is no longer for me. I can't remain within it and continue taking this.
  A few months later I made a life changing decision and started HRT to become a Woman. No to become the Woman I always was. The Depression I always had lifted from the first dose. I was free. Free of everything but of you. You all still hang over my head. And I began to wonder why? I realize now why.
  I am a victim of Emotional and Mental Abuse. My whole life I have suffered through it. I have always read about and seen Victims on the Television, but never thought I was one of them. I never thought I could be or would be! Instead of harboring more hate and harsh feelings towards you for this revelation. I realize you don't know you've done it or are doing it, and you never will.
  I'm leaving you now. I found a new family. They lift me up and don't throw me down. They encourage me, and don't become snide. They support me ALWAYS! I do the same for them.

                                                                           Signed, Alice Wright