I thought Major! was a wonderful documentary about an important activist and community advocate. While I knew Miss Major was a long-time advocate for the trans community, I had no idea about the number of women whose lives she had personally touched. Miss Major supported so many people not just with marches or protests, but with simple human interaction. She has cared for people who had no one else, and shown so much genuine human kindness throughout decades of adversity. When we talk about activism today, we often focus on organized efforts and the legal process. And those things are important, but so is Miss Major’s dedication to taking care of people on a personal and community level.
Something that the film left me thinking about was what limited control we have over our legacies. We are so fortunate that Miss Major is still here to help tell her own story; historically, trans people often aren’t. Everyone has their own boundaries regarding what language they’re comfortable being referred to as, and every time I read about historic(al) trans and gender non-conforming people I wonder what language they used to describe themselves, and what language they would have used today. I think it’s important that we are continuously conscious of discussing people respectfully, even we might use different language to refer to ourselves.