[Marina Kits]

Thank you, Kari. I touched on the potential problem you mention in some earlier versions of the letter, but decided that it was better left out.

Yeah, I wouldn't included anything about shifting opinions in my own coming out letter either. It's just something for us to be aware of when we get excited that we are well received by someone. There are far more important things to include in a coming out letter as you have done in yours and by-the-way, I think yours looks perfect. Also, there are far better bits of advice about coming out than what I suggested but it's all I have so far that's the least bit profound. I just assumed that if someone hated me after I told them that they'd hate me forever and if they loved me after the fact, that too would last forever. I think it's just that most people have never thought about what they might think if someone told them they are transgender so initial reactions are a bit unstable. My deep hope regarding people like your Catholic neighbor is that when they are made aware of someone who is transgender that they've know for a long time, their hearts will be softened toward us. It's easy to hate (maybe a strong word for most) someone you've never known. Much harder to hate someone you've known for a long time just because a new fact about them is revealed.

Last weekend, the Rochester MN Post Bulletin did a HUGE spread on Transgender acceptance (Front page and throughout plus a followup today). One comment that rang especially true in my mind was, "If you don't know a transgender person, it's because they don't trust you". How true! They say we all know 200-500 people, out of that group, only 4 know about me. ...Guess I'm a pretty untrusting huh?

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/transgender-people-find-society-gradually-accepting/article_3c98c169-40e6-5c86-9396-aece431597c3.html

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/adelie-bergstrom-she-still-models-as-woman-now/article_47242642-b381-5332-903a-6784956bf3db.html

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/transgender-man-s-goal-happiness/article_a47fffcf-ee85-561f-a1e8-ebcdf1d5bd0a.html

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/kendra-it-took-time-to-accept-identity/article_36e2cde2-34d0-55d3-a228-4f6432ff145e.html

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/open-your-hearts-to-people-of-all-kinds/article_3f8deb05-5dcd-5f0a-b5e7-716fb3486ad8.html

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/discrimination-in-health-care-industry-common-for-transgender-people/article_b8d109df-f645-53f2-8240-2dd62341c825.html

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/parent-of-transgender-woman-shares-her-thoughts/article_dc99ad02-88e6-51c8-bc7a-130450a21109.html