I was just catching up on BZPower blogs and came across Windrider's recent blog entry where she came out as transgender. At some point after I finished reading it I felt inspired, so I started typing on my phone until I had some decent-sounding song lyrics. Unfortunately, I neither write nor play music, so the chance of turning this into a finished song is extremely uncertain. But I figured I'd share them here.

The song is actually BIONICLE-related, written from the perspective of Takanuva after his transformation. But it's also meant to be able to be read from the perspective of a transgender person who is admitting their true gender identity for the first time. I apologize in advance if it sounds patronizing. I've never had to struggle to understand my own identity, but there's still something truly inspiring about a person who has acknowledging that their true identity is different than the one that was assigned to them at birth. Anyway, here goes.

Who I Am

I've been wandering aimlessly

For what was really in me all along

I wasn't sure what I was meant to be,

Like my identity was written wrong

People said I should settle down

And stop questioning what I should be

But I knew settling would just amount

To never knowing my true destiny

{chorus}

I always felt out of place

With the mask on my face

And I hope you all understand

That the mask that I've worn

since the day I was born

is not the measure of who I am

I may seem like a stranger, now

With a name that you have not known before,

A face and body that are changed somehow

From the familiar ones you knew me for

Underneath, though, I haven't changed,

And now I'm surer than I've ever been

That I've found just what I was looking for,

The me that long was hidden deep within

{chorus}

I always felt out of place

With the mask on my face

And I hope you all understand

That the mask that I've worn

since the day I was born

is not the measure of who I am

Who I am

Please accept the new name I chose

The path that finally I know is mine,

Don't insist that I am just confused,

Or that the name I had before was fine

United with the friends I have made,

My duty to myself and all will be

To chart a future where we're not afraid

To shine a light upon our destinies!

{chorus}

I always felt out of place

With the mask on my face

And I hope you all understand

That the mask that I've worn

since the day I was born

is not the measure of who I am

Who I am

Who I am

Who I am

This is who I am

~~~~~~

Anyway, it feels a bit silly to post this, knowing that I have no experience with songwriting and it's probably not any good. But I also would feel terrible to put all that work into it and never even share it. Hopefully I did a better job than I give myself credit for...