Since I transitioned I’ve been thinking a lot about how little I knew about trans people until I realized I was one and took seriously educating myself.

It makes me feel ashamed because of how little I understand so many other oppressed groups, and how little true empathy I have. Even if on the surface I have respect for people and consider myself an “ally” to various groups, I feel I should do more than just signal respect and support. Maybe it’s an unrealistically high bar, but my conscience certainly thinks I need to do more to empathize with and better understand other groups.