Transgenderism & My Transition Into Being an Atheist

Despite me being an Atheist now, I still can't get myself to understand why people are transgender. However, that doesn't stop me from respecting people in society who are transgender because I know that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect.

So overall, my thoughts haven't changed much on this particular subject. Understanding the minds of people from the LGBT community can be hard sometimes, especially when you're raised by parents who are conservative Christians. Let me be real with you though: I understand the feeling of being judged or put down because of a choice that you've made in life. Now I know that a lot of people will argue that being transgender isn't a choice, but how else would you explain the process? 

Discrimination and negativity isn't appreciated regardless of who you are in any aspect; I know that much. It continues to irritate me that people can't respect other people's decisions. I've tried my best to not judgmental towards anyone who is transgender or gay despite my personal opinions of those people. I don't shove my personal opinions and beliefs onto anyone and I wish other people would be that way as well. I know how it feels to not be heard or accepted by someone you care about, and while some may want to cut ties completely, I'm not going to be that way. My heart still sees the good in people by default and that makes it hard for me to end certain relationships in my life. 

I don't have any friends or family members who are transgender, so my knowledge on this subject is limited. I'll also admit again that I was raised in a Christian household, so that has also influenced my thinking of the LGBT community in general. I may have been able to get myself out of doubt and questioning and into the mindset of a sound Atheist, but even then, that doesn't stop me from continuing that process of questioning and such when it comes to understanding transgender people. I question why people feel like a different person, like why aren't you satisfied with being a boy or girl at birth? Why make such a big deal out of the concept of gender identity? Why can't you just accept the gender that you're born with? These are the questions that keep nagging at me despite me being an Atheist now, because I know that I should just accept it, but I can't understand why people want to become the opposite gender.

So in short, it's not that I don't want to understand or accept transgenderism at all, it's just that the struggle of being more open is difficult to get through. It's about stepping out of my old self and fully embracing this new state of mind I'm in without any fear. More importantly though, it's about caring more about my own feelings and remembering how important they are to me. Part of me still cares about the whys and hows, but once I stop caring about that and just live, I'll finally feel free. Once I start forming new opinions and beliefs that aren't tied to Christianity, I'll finally understand and become more mindful.