To be trans is "esse curæ ipsi"
Since January 1st I have been on HRT and I am so blissful about it! As @lilithisrunningwithscissors told me, to be trans is a journey that requires you to take care of your needs, your body, and your psyche. Therefore, like every time I have something important to say or something I want to think about, I wrote my feelings and thoughts in my Latin diary:
"Kalendis Januariis : Hodie cœpi œstrogenus sumere. Is dies honestissimus lætissimusque mihi est ; enim is est meæ vitæ reliquæ primus dies, non solum quoniam nunc fio femina quam volo esse, sed etiam quatenus nunc officium mihi est esse curæ mihi et animum intendere in meum medicamentum."
Which can be translated as: "January 1st. Today I started taking oestrogen. This day is, to me, the most honourable and the happiest; indeed this is the first day of the rest of my life, not only because now I am becoming the woman I want to be, but also seeing that from now on it is my duty to take care of myself and to apply my mind on my medication".
The most important words in this text, the ones that stuck in my mind, are those three: esse curæ mihi. In Latin that's what we call a “double dative”: some verbs can be constructed with two complements in the dative case, one indicating for whom the action is done, the other the result or for what purpose the action is done. "Esse curæ alicui" means "to be an object of one's care".
When I say my duty is "esse curæ mihi", I’m saying I must be the object of my own care. I think this is relevant to say as a trans person, because we have to actively take care of ourselves (whether on HRT or not). In my case: I am only 20 years old and I had to think about my desire, or lack of, to have kids later— and thus I underwent a gamete conservation. I thought for months about whether or not to go on HRT: from the moment I start taking oestrogens it is a life-long treatment, my body will not start producing oestrogens on its own, I have to give it to my body. It is a very conscious and voluntary driven action of self-care.
I could continue like that for hours on end, but my point is: to be trans is to live in a world where you have to take care of yourself and your body consciously. I do not say that trans people have to be on HRT, no. Be it HRT or any other gender-affirming activity: a book you read, a game you play, a place you hang out at, etc. To be trans is to help your psyche and body, to be happier and at peace. We have to fight for our rights, we have to live through discriminations and it is a difficult time all around the world for trans folks, so let's be our own first ally. Let's take care of ourselves.
For me it was "officium mihi est esse curæ mihi", but I want to make it a maxim for trans people all around the world: to be an object of your own mind, to take care of yourself— esse curæ ipsi.
