Trans people are often impeccable actors. When we’re closeted, we learn how we’re supposed to move and talk, the difference between the expectation of us and the reality. We then force ourselves to adopt an expected persona like a snug costume. Being the funny person is an easy part to play when you hate yourself, because it feels like your whole life is a joke written by somebody else. Some of the best laughs I got came from deadpan deliveries of the truth. Absurd self-deprecating punchlines are sometimes just a way to hide the fact you don’t know how to ask for help.
