Blaque/OUT Magazine Nov. 2020 Issue 002

Page 13

My Own Words Zenith Fulton (HE/HIM)

Email: zenithfulton@yahoo.com

Facebook: I Am Zenith

It feels so free to be me. ZENITH¦ the point at which something is the most powerful or successful. The essence of my BEING. IMHERE! I say this to myself every day throughout the day. It feels so good! I truly believe that there are many people in the world who have had and/or still have it worse than me in life. However, it does not take away the fact that I am still standing with everything I have been through. Everybody has their strengths. Who is to say that someone who has it worse than me would have made it in my shoes. I am still moving forward. Just in the mood to do some things I do not do. I do not give my SELF credit and I do not share my SELF. Not even with those I am close to. At all. I AM learning. Especially after what happened when I gave up on my SELF after putting my SELF in a box. I Am open. It has led me on many adventures. I am thankful for them all. They will not be forgotten and I will not keep them to my SELF. That would be to suppress the voice i was given to spread MY story. To spread hope. How can I fight for equality while I oppress my SELF from the equality I do not first give my SELF. To publicly fight for something I do not fight for within my SELF would be to oppress my SELF. There is A LOT of that going around as it is. That may be the reason for me recently starting to spread my voice. Whether it be by mouth or read. How can I stand for others if I do not stand for ME? If I do not learn, how can I teach? Not only did I come OUT about liking women. Identifying as the opposite sex from what was assigned to me at birth and preferring he/him pronouns, that is also another form of coming out. THAT TOOK STRENGTH. A strength not recognized, and appreciated, and congratulated, and acknowledged, and respected. Could you imagine coming out at 15, while people in there 40s were still having kids before coming out as liking the same sex or identifying as the opposite sex. Since then, kids in elementary school have Come Out. It makes me proud to see. I respect them for their strength. Way more then I had or maybe its because more resources and alliances have formed in that time of me Coming Out. GROWTH! Even with the countless resources around, we cannot be reached by a lot of people. Those that do not know how to wave the flag, those that are scared, those that are in denial, those that went through some type of trauma that keeps them holed in, and many more. I started taking Testosterone October of 2019. So by the time you read this I will have had my first MANiversary! One year down with an unimaginable, yet, beautiful future ahead. I am also very fortunate to say that I received a successful top surgery over two months ago. Next up is my name change and gender marker! Hey, who is to say whether i'll go all the way … if you know what I mean. Every step of coming out has filled me with so much HAPPINESS and it continues to come in. That is why I can not stop. That is why I am open. That is why I am ME! I am In Love with my SELF! I Will Be That Eternal Orchid Blooming Through The Rubble. Thank you for bearing witness to my growth….. STAY TUNED!!!

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