Mentor Text: When You’re Trans, Living With Your Parents Can Be Complicated

This article can fit within many different categories or genres, but the one that stood out the most is that of ideological differences. Within ideological differences, the failure of differing opinions to get along and reach reasonable conclusions regardless of the relationship that one has. Parents are supposed to support their kids in their endeavors and love them unconditionally.

That feeling is not always the case in the LGBTQ community. Many people outside of the evolving community who deem themselves as “normal” and “correct” fail to see the normality and reasoning for wanting to have a differing ideology. Cruz, the spotlight within the article, fails to reason with her parents and share with them her true colors and feelings about her gender and sexuality in life. After opening up to them that she is a woman, not a man, her parents pushed back against her and forced her out of the house. This forcing was not physical, but Cruz thought it was in her best interest to move forward with a life away from the discrimination of her parents. The question persits: How could one’s parents not support them?”

After being kicked out of her house, Cruz starts to realize the true realities of being a member of LGBT. She had a hard time finding jobs, could not check into some homeless shelters (because of her identity), and was shunned by many civilians and friends. With this lack of money and lack of home, Cruz has a hard time identifying where she is local and where she is at home. Her home is full of discrimination and her local is a place where she cannot find a home of her own. This reality is a tough pill to swallow as she wants to be herself (as she should be able to) but also wants to live a respectable life.

This article serves two purposes and can attract two very different crowds. I feel as if this works pumps a lot of empathy into a community of people that are having an extremely hard time finding financial stability and success. It lets people know that they are not alone and that they are in fact fighting with a lot of other people across the world. Not only financially, but fighting socially as well. I also think that this article could attract the attention of someone who wants to learn more about the LGBT community and their life patterns. This article serves as an informational outlet for someone who could change their viewpoint on the situation and, actually, turn around and make a difference in their day to day life even if they do not identify with one of those letters.

The speaker of the text works with Cruz to help bring out a bigger issue than just the one Cruz is having. It is to bring out the issue that a high majority of LGBT members are having. The author Tori Truscheit uses her platform to bring the issues that Cruz is having to light. Cruz represents a huge community that is in need of help to avoid homelessnes, depression, and a loss of identity and confidence. Truscheit had an encounter with Cruz and was moved by the situation. As a housing expert herself she realized that LGBT people were being pushed out of owning homes and holding jobs. This enlightenment allowed her to write an article that could reach millions of people.

The message of this article boils down to treating everyone with equality and fighting for everyone’s right to be equal. Regardless of who one is, no one should be seen as “different” just because they do not identify with or parallel what another sees as normal. Difference should be viewed as a good thing, not a bad thing. America is a melting pot for differences and each individual should strive to make those differences into positives and not negatives. A community is a sum of its parts, so why not build the community up to reach heights even some cannot imagine. Those heights will be infringed if people do not accept and oust people from it.