Creating Hopeful Statements

Hope is a way to feel better when faced with gender dysphoria. It means believing that things will get easier in the future and that there will be more times when you feel good about your gender identity. By thinking positive thoughts and believing in yourself, you can become stronger and keep hoping for a brighter future.

Black and Latinx therapeutic healers have proposed that hope is comprised of at least 3 components:

1. Understanding Past Oppression And Resistance

Thinking of folks like Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Lou Sullivan, Miss Major, Cecilia Chung and events like the Compton Cafeteria and Stone Wall riots remind us that we are not alone. That our trans elders fought for us and their strength and resistance empower us now.

2. Embracing Ancestral Pride

Much like our trans elders fought for our rights, they also paved ways for us to be proud of who we are and to be visible in society. Individuals such as Lili Elbe, Christine Jorgensen, Sandra Caldwell, and Candis Cayne who pioneered in news and film and made space for Laverne Cox, Indya Moore, MJ Rodriguez, Leo Sheng, and Elliot Fletcher. Our trans elders showed us how to be proud of ourselves in the face of adversity and anti-trans stigma.

3. Envisioning Possibilities

Utilizing our knowledge of what our trans elders have resisted and achieved so that we can imagine what our own futures hold.

As you think about how to use hope as a coping strategy reflect on the trans elders who have inspired you.

Here are some ways to use hope through reframing experiences. To do this:

1. Notice a thought or experience that is negative.

For example, the gender dysphoria tells you that you will never be loved.

2. Focus on something positive that could happen in the future that would be better.

For example, in the future I will find someone who loves me.

The point is to take a negative thought or experience and replace it with hope!

Here are some more examples: