One year on YouTube

18 November 2009

Video | ZJ on YouTube | Subscribe

[ZJ's first video appears.]

ZJ: Good evening, everyone. I'm ZJ, and this is my first video, ever.

[Dozens of ZJ's videos are displayed in order, highlighting his transformation into her present appearance.]

ZJ: Wow! This has been an amazing year. Things have changed so much since then, it's incredible. I never could have imagined what this was going to become. When this whole endeavor first started, it was just me putting my thoughts out there and doing videos about pretty much anything. And people actually started watching them! They thought this was something worth paying attention to. And that was really encouraging, because it let me know I'm not alone on this. There are people out there who are interested in what I'm talking about, and they really care about these things.

So I kept at it, because this was something that mattered. It wasn't just about me anymore. And eventually I started getting messages from people, and they told me about their lives and their experiences. They said my videos helped them when they were thinking about who they are or what they believe. It gave them something to relate to.

And I thought it was really significant that I could be an inspiration to others, just like they had inspired me. I feel it's very important that I've been able to help people question what they've been taught, or live openly as who they are. It's crucial for them to know they're not alone.

For anyone who's ever felt like they were different from everyone else, you are not alone. For anyone who's ever felt like this world could use some improvement, instead of settling for the way things are, you are not alone. For anyone who's ever seen something that was so clearly wrong, but you didn't know what to say because nobody said anything, you are not alone. And for anyone who's ever taken the time to really, honestly think about things because you know it matters, you are not alone.

There are so many people out there who need to hear this and know that we're with you, and I am honored to have the opportunity to reach out and bring them together.

I can't wait to see what's going to happen this year. I'm sure it'll be interesting. And I hope you'll join me, and be part of something fabulous. You know you're curious.

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