This movie helped me

First of all - Only to offer context - I am a straight male.

As long as I can remember, I was taught by my families to treat gay, lesbian, and bisexual people AS PEOPLE, and to judge them based on their character, and not sexual orientation. I've been firm in my stances on gay rights, and I have gay friends and family (My cousin just married his boyfriend!).

My experience with transgender men and women, however, has been limited. I've always been sort of clueless about it, and not sure how to handle it. I have hard time wrapping my head around it, and for that I'm sorry - Because I wish it was easier for me to understand the struggles of a transgender person (their struggles are so immensely greater). Watching this movie, and Jared Leto's character helped me break that barrier. He was a little painful to watch, at first, because again - I had a hard time understanding those types of people. There were so many powerful scenes that followed that made me realize that I can be better. When Rayon sees his dad, dressed as a man, and his father is so...stoic. It must be so difficult to see your own father look away from you as you tell him you are about to die from a horrible disease. The fact that Rayon was willing to dress as a man to help his dad see him as just "a person" was powerful. Giving the money to Ron, followed by that handshake, and hug..Again, powerful. What did it for me was when Rayon was in his bed, coughing up blood, and when told he needs to go to the hospital he at first refuses...Because he knows that this is it for him. *beep* When he was moaning "I don't want to die" over and over, I lost it. I couldn't see the transgender anymore, just a scared *beep* person, in pain, feeling alone, pleading with himself to just stay alive a little bit longer. I felt this even more because my uncle with ALS a few months ago developed pneumonia, and hospice gave him two weeks to live (he recovered, and is still alive now)..But when we visited him, he said the same thing.."I'm not ready..Please"...Begging for life. I had never seen someone in that amount of agony before. After that, I went home, and I didn't cry, I just lost it - I threw stuff, broke stuff, punched walls, and was just so mad that good people have to go through things like that.

Rayon helped me break the barrier. If I am to meet a transgender individual, I am now confident that I can treat them just as they deserve to be. For that gift, I am incredibly grateful. Just my thoughts. Thanks all.