It's never been easy

I see Maria once in a while in a cafe I sometimes go to downtown and from the get go we seemed destined to hit it off. When she sees me she sits down a few minutes before heading off to work.

This particular morning she begins talking about a deceased uncle who she says was really her aunt by saying "She was trans and dressed as a girl almost full time and was beautiful". This was back in the early 1980's when the term didn't exist.

She tells me rather matter of factly and I say nothing as she does not know my history and I don't exactly trumpet it.

"He died of AIDS" she says suddenly  switching pronouns reminding me how the topic confuses and jumbles around in people's heads even when they are completely devoid of any malice.

An androphilic transgender woman wouldn't have had it very easy back then and even today it's not always a picnic. This poor soul only made it to age 25 before passing away from a virus we largely have under control today.

Had she lived she would have been approaching her mid sixties.