Midnight Skyline

Welcome back to the midnight series. Let's talk about phases. Not phases of the moon, though that would be fitting. Often I hear people try to invalidate someone else's choices or identity by telling them it's "just a phase." But let's dissect that.

Phases in our lives are steps we go through that lead us closer to the people we will become. And even in adulthood we have phases. Sometimes we have phases where we think we might be something greater than ourselves, where we question our religious standpoints, or where we invest our energy into a new fandom or game. Phases take many forms.

The way I see it, if someone tells another that their choice to use different pronouns than their assigned ones is "just a phase", so what? Shouldn't we embrace the phase? Even if they grow out of it or shed it eventually, they'll then have a better understanding of who they are. And by embracing that phase, you got to be a part of the journey.