[ID: A series of tweets by Kivan @KivaBay that read:

“I just had the most incredible experience in front of my apartment building and I have to share it.

There’s a little old man who walks up and down the street and says hi if we’re out there smoking cigarettes. I was outside smoking and he was walking past and said “Good afternoon, young lady!”

And normally I’d probably be too scared to correct a stranger but he’d said hi before.

No I said “Actually I’m not a young lady, I’m a man” and immediately get nervous and try to explain my high voice and, uh, tiddy. “I have a condition.”

And this little old man goes “Oh are you transgender?” And having painted myself into this corner I say yes.

“Me too,” he says.

And I realize this little old man is shorter than me. And he’s got suspenders and a cute hat (hello call-out post for my fashion sense). And he’s smiling so warmly.

I am meeting a trans man elder and I don’t even have a good bowtie on!!! WTF KIVAN!

And he called me brother and said he was honored to meet me and hugged me and just, after everything with my dad I can’t even begin to put into words how much I needed to see a little old man I could grow to be

I’m actually crying right now because I just really, really needed that.

You’re all great, let’s protect our trans elders, and grow up to be the good trans elders for those after us.” END ID]