in susurration, I roar.

I am who I am, and I love who I love

I am a being with thought, heart, and emotion

My flesh does not define my spirit, for the flesh is simply meat covering blood covering bone

The skeleton is but a cage of bones holding back the heart

But I am not my flesh

I am not my bones

I am not the heart that gives me life

I am who I am: a spirit; a soul hiding under layers of protection and captivity

I am no boy. I am no woman. I am not a definition

I am not yours to give meaning, nor does my value lie in your perception

I am not your labels for me; nor your opinions of me; I am an autonomous entity with free thought and reason

I am only who my God says I am

My value comes from what I prove myself to be, not from how you deem me

Think of me what you want;

Screech at me with the force of biting winds

Scratch my soul and rip out my heart with your vulturous claws

try and will me into mundanity

I dare you.

Watch as your rage against existence festers and consumes you

Here I will be, confident in myself and in the One that created me

I am who I am

I can’t do anything about it, and neither can you

I am loved, whether you like it or not

I am important

I am not perfect, but He’s never cared about that. I am a human

I am a history carved into white marble. My words transcribed in ink of gold before they manifested in my lips

You ask me, am I a man or a woman?

And I answer, I am a child of God, created in His image; designed to bring love and peace

I am who I am. My identity is beyond my own control, my attraction is not driven by my own desires but by a Creator who works in me and through me

I am not an object; I am not a product. I am not a thing to be labeled and sold to the highest bidder, because they couldn’t afford me anyway.

I am worth an eternity, because that’s what was paid for me

I am not a classification

I am not who you think I am

I am who He says I am.