He is "Beautiful"

Gone to Bali for important meeting, Mas Dalih sent Mbak Abmi to teach in his creative writing class for the last two meetings. Being a guest before, last two week she taught us by playing a movie “Bag It” – a movie I reviewed on my previous blog. Then, last week she brought is a beautiful guest with long hair, and  pointed piercing nose. This guest looked like a beautiful woman, yet I felt something unusual about her.

Surprised I am when she came to the front of class and introduced herself kindly. I suddenly I realized that she was a He. That was the first time for me to meet a transgender in class, and I guest most of my friends were surprised too as they started whispering.

Born in Klaten, Mbak Sonya had been living in Jogja since she was in Vocational School. She is a hardworker and extraordinary people as she has many activities and jobs such as online shop seller, and PKBI – an Indonesian organization concerning of marginal society.

Finding his identity is not as easy as the imagination. Her mother still cannot accept her being a transgender. She still has to convince her family about his identity. When she was a child, she prefer played with girl since boys would bully her. This led him to be girly. She began dressing as a girl, and being like a girl. As she was in Junior High School, she used to hang out dressing like a girl at the night. One day, her friends met her in girly dress, and they laughed out loud and made this “accidental meeting” as a joke. She did not like when people made a joke of her just because of his difference.

Coming to Yogyakarta, she found her “new home” where she could be a transgender. She became volunteer in PKBI, helped people, and joined some communities against HIV AIDS. This is a proof that being a transgender doesn’t mean being alienated. It is a proof that transgender also has great contribution to society and world. She is Beautiful for her inspiring idea, and effort to the world.