Average person Quote by Julia Serano
““My friend, still seemingly perplexed, asked me "So if it's not about genitals, what is it about trans women's bodies that you find so attractive?" I paused for a second to consider the question. Then I replied that it is almost always their eyes. When I look into them, I see both endless strength and inconsolable sadness. I see someone who has overcome humiliation and abuses that would flatten the average person. I see a woman who was made to feel shame for her desires and yet had the courage to pursue them anyway. I see a woman who was forced against her will into boyhood, who held on to a dream that everybody in her life desperately tried to beat out of her, who refused to listen to the endless stream of people who told her that who she was and what she wanted was impossible. When I look into a trans woman's eyes, I see a profound appreciation for how fucking empowering it can be to be female, an appreciation that seems lost on many cissexual women who sadly take their female identities and anatomies for granted, or who perpetually seek to cast themselves as victims rather than instigators. In trans women's eyes, I see a wisdom that can only come from having to fight for your right to be recognised as female, a raw strength that only comes from unabashedly asserting your right to be feminine in an inhospitable world. In a trans woman's eyes, I see someone who understands that, in a culture that's seemingly fuelled on male homophobic hysteria, choosing to be female and openly expressing one's femininity is not a sign of frivolousness, weakness or passivity, it is a fucking badge of courage. Everybody loves to say that drag queens are "fabulous", but nobody seems to get the fact that trans women are fucking badass!””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Gender Identity and Attraction, Julia Serano, 2015
The speaker finds trans women’s eyes reveal deep resilience, courage, and a unique appreciation of femininity forged through struggle and marginalization.
In simple terms: Trans women’s eyes show strength and courage from overcoming oppression.
Recognize and honor the resilience behind attraction.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- activism
- supporting trans rights
- challenging stereotypes
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does recognizing inner strength change our perception of beauty?
- What can we learn from trans women’s resilience?
Attraction based solely on physical attributes ignores deeper human experience.