Chalker’s Inspiration: My inspiration for my essay began when I learned what transgender means. Throughout my years I have seen the world turn against trans people and do utterly horrible things to their rights. Voices of equality and truth weren't being heard and I realized that any little piece of assistance in strengthening that voice was crucial. So when this great essay opportunity showed up it seemed like this was it. This could be how I started to make a difference. I knew that transgender rights were going to be my essay topic as soon as I heard about it.

It wasn't about me winning. It was about what my essay could start to provide and what people could base their writing on to make a change. One essay contest sorrowfully won't make the change that our world needs immediately. However, it can plant the seeds for others to nurture and take care of. So in synopsis, my essay was inspired by the cruelness of our world and my desire to help pick up the shattered mess that we have created. 

Our world revolves around hierarchy, prejudice, and inequality. I’m not quite sure how or why it got to be like this, but now we are here just sitting around watching TV shows on Netflix waiting for it to get better. Quick news flash... that’s not going to just happen. That is why I am going to try to convince our world that we need a change, but not just for us, for transgender people whose rights are revoked and are made fun of. In this essay you will see how our world needs to change from rude and unjust to kind and useful.

I first noticed this unfair treatment towards transgender people when my mom’s friend’s son transitioned to a female. I still remember how supportive my whole family was that night when my mom told me what it meant when someone was trans and ever since then I have heard and seen people do nothing but be rude to trans people and even try to make laws about their freedom. To give substance to this, SB 14 is a law that was passed and signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on June 2, which stopped allowing transgender minors from receiving hormone therapies and puberty blockers. It goes into effect next month. These horrible laws have caused trans people to take their own lives because they can’t be who they are. It took so long for my mom’s friend’s daughter to be able to use her correctly gendered bathroom. That is just horrible! Now you see why we need a change, so let’s make one.

We need to be kind. Not just to transgender people, but to all of us. You see, if every day we all could say at least three kind things to people our world would become so much better, and especially to people who transitioned their gender. If we strive to not make fun of them and just act the same no matter what gender they are, we all would feel welcome in this world. Also, if we started to write peaceful petition papers to our government saying anything along the lines of how unfair it is to trans people who are trying to get sex change surgeries and can’t because they may be under 18 or how it’s illegal to have that surgery where they live, we could start to make a change. Also, if we all do a little research and find out about the restrictions that trans people have, we can further understand their pain and share that with the world to make more people see the change we will and can make. If we act on this and do what is right, our actions will inspire change. I’ll be a force for good change and not just sit around when people can’t become who they truly are. We only have one world so let’s make it a good one.

Adeline enjoys traveling and has been to seven different countries. She is involved in many school activities, including Junior Model UN, Harding Singers, and the swim team. She plays piano in her school’s jazz band, percussion in the concert band, and has been in many theater productions with her school’s drama club and Beck Center Theater Productions. Regardless of where life takes her, Adeline hopes to be remembered as a kind, smart, and talented person who made a positive impact on the world.

FreshWater is sharing six of the winning poems and essays written by local students for The Maltz Museum’s 2025 Stop the Hate Youth Speak Out and Youth Sing Out essay and poetry contest. Students created essays, poems, and songs reflecting on a quote from artist Marc Chagall.