What Is Normal?
I understand why most people stare at me when they see me for the first time. I really do. I actually respect and tolerate most people’s reactions: curiosity, admiration, compassion, and even aversion. What I do not tolerate are negative and offensive reactions like the ones I experienced in my home country, Puerto Rico. Experiencing them was disheartening and a huge disappointment. However, from these experiences, I’ve learned to discern between those who look at me with compassion and those who do not. I get it. As social beings, we have developed a mental stereotype of what is "normal" and what is not. Nevertheless, to some people, a deviation from what they consider “normal” generates a level of anxiety and...