I haven't left and don't plan to. Why give up? I choose to believe I can make some change because if I don't believe that, I will genuinely die

(it's almost happened before).

I need some form of hope, and it doesn't come from external sources since so many people fucking suck. I need to be an activist since I had to be upon coming out. Maybe being loud, proud, and active is a choice for some, but it wasn't for me. I came out in middle school and became "the person to ask/bully" when it came to LGBTQ topics. This was frusterating but it isn't something I can leave behind. It makes me sad to hear you think we can't make change, that we "simply aren't that important", since my personal advocacy has changed some things at the schools I've attended since coming out. I have to believe these changes also benefit future and current trans kids.

It's been way more than 2 years- around five, now, and I'm still here, still angry, and still somewhat hopeful. Personally, without hope, I don't want to live.