I’ve already lost count of how many times I teared up reading Elliot Page’s interview with TIME — it’s safe to say my eyes felt quite hydrated (and slightly blurry) throughout.

Sometimes, navigating life as a trans masc person is like navigating a rainstorm of erasers brushing down my already uncomfortable skin.

The moments that are hardest are when this translates and adds to my body erasing who I am. The worst is stepping into the shower and finding that although the foam can strip and separate me from the day, it can’t strip me away from a body that isn’t mine.

I’m grateful to have access to spaces that feel safe, but it’s also isolating to be back home to a city where I’m yet to find friends from the community.

“In today’s culture wars, simplistic beliefs about gender—e.g., chromosomes = destiny—are so widespread and so deep-seated that many people who hold those beliefs don’t feel compelled to consider whether they might be incomplete or prejudiced,” TIME reports.

It’s affirming to find myself represented through Page’s experience. This interview is an addition to my toolkit for moments I might need backup to validate my existence to loved ones; to explain that gender dysphoria is real; that gender-affirming care isn’t cosmetic — it’s healthcare that I need, to regain the energy to love, and to live a fuller life.

“We know who we are,” Page told TIME. “People cling to these firm ideas [about gender] because it makes people feel safe. But if we could just celebrate all the wonderful complexities of people, the world would be such a better place.”

More anti-trans bills have been introduced in the 2021 legislative sessions in the U.S. than any year before and 65 of 73 bills are targeting trans youth’s access to healthcare and sports. These bills have real-life consequences; accessing gender-affirming healthcare and feeling a sense of belonging can be lifesaving for some.

Chase Strangio posts updates on these bills along with resources to stop them from being signed into law: https://twitter.com/chasestrangio