Not despite being trans. But simply because they’re them.
For years, “Morgan” was just a title to me. Jake’s sister. She existed in the periphery—coming home from work, stealing the remote, yelling at us to turn down the music. I knew she was trans, but back then, my brain filed that away as simply Jake’s sister who is trans. I didn’t ask questions. Not because I was unkind, but because I was uninformed. I treated her with polite distance, afraid that if I said the wrong thing, I’d lose my best friend.
Jake had forgotten his phone at our lunch table. Morgan answered when I called to say I’d drop it off. “Stay for coffee,” she said. “Jake won’t be home for an hour.” my best friends ts sister
How letting go of assumptions led me to one of the most genuine connections of my life.
That hour changed everything. She wasn’t “Jake’s sister” or “his trans sister.” She was Morgan—a software engineer who cried at dog adoption videos, who made sourdough from scratch during the pandemic, and who had a laugh that sounded like pop rocks. Not despite being trans
We talked about her transition for exactly four minutes. She mentioned it casually, the way someone might mention they moved from Ohio. “It’s just part of my story,” she said. “Not the whole book.”
And “them” might just change your life. The best friendships don’t come with instructions. They come with open doors. Morgan opened hers. I just had to stop tiptoeing and walk inside. Jake’s sister
So here’s what I want you to know: If you have a friend with a trans sibling, don’t do what I did for three years. Don’t be polite from a distance. Be curious. Show up. Ask the clumsy question. Laugh at the wrong time. Because on the other side of your awkwardness might be someone who becomes one of your favorite people.
