Becoming a Black Man

AlterNet.org – By Daisy Hernandez, ColorLines RaceWire

As more people of color transition between genders, the ways that racism is different for men and women come to the surface.

Louis Mitchell expected a lot of change when he began taking injections of hormones eight years ago to transition from a female body to a male one. He anticipated that he’d grow a beard, which he eventually did and enjoys now. He knew his voice would deepen and that his relationship with his partner, family and friends would change in subtle and, he hoped, good ways, all of which happened.

What he had not counted on was changing the way he drove.