Living in the Middle

I really wish that I had the command of words to explain what I expereinced this Saturday. During my Seton Hill Art Therapy Alumni conference I went to a lecture on the transgender community. Most of the intro knowledge I knew, the differences between gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. I know all that stuff, it was seeing the art of some of the members of this community that I felt my heart break.

I saw artwork that completely showed the pain of living in the a land of the "in-between". Neither one or the other. Most of the art was wanting one other person to accept them and see the man beneath the woman or vice-versa. The pain was tangible in the room as we witnessed the work in front of us.

Coming out to your partents about your gender attarction is one thing, telling the world that you feel that you are the WRONG gender is completely differnt. Looking at their art I felt I was reading post secrets. They were detailed, and highly relatable. I have wanted to work with addiction since I chose this profession, but now, I wonder if that is where I should go?

What amazed the me the most about the information in the lecture was the lack of support for this community. When a group of therapists were interviewed about their dealing with a transgender client, all them said they would refer the client to someone else. I don't understand how there cannot be any training to deal with population. I try not to lock myself into a spefefic population right now, but I will have to at some point. Until then, until the time comes to pick, I am going to keep learning, going with the flow of education and research.