Co-sponsored by Fluidity, the Love Your Body committee, Four Front and the Chancellor’s Diversity Initiative, writer and theater artist S. Bear Bergman sought to break down transgender stereotypes Thursday at the MU Student Center.

Bergman, the creator and performer of three award-winning solo performances, said ze believes the focus of transgender experiences has been mainly negative, filled with sad stories and depressing journeys. Ze is the gender-neutral pronoun.

But Bergman said ze thinks the focus should instead be on the individuals and their positive experiences. Bergman also said transgender people should show pride as a way of changing the stigma attached to transgender.

“Pride serves us better as individuals,” Bergman said. “I mean, how healthy could it possibly be to continue to rehearse our horror stories and our shame?”

Bergman said transgender people should be celebrated, not pitied upon.

“We knew it was important that we celebrate trans bodies for Love Your Body for April,” Women’s Center Adviser Suzy Day said. “We liked this program because it was very celebratory.”

Bergman said more trans people should share their stories of when their lives are great. Bergman said ze is tired of trans people only sharing stories of how hard it is to be trans.

“I don’t have to remain quiet,” Bergman said. “So I won’t talk about trans people in any other way but as fabulous creatures of great and many wonders who are not in fact just like you. I will not stop insisting that this is a good thing.”

Bergman said ze chose not to share hir bad experiences, even though ze definitely had many to share. Instead, Bergman wanted to talk about why it was great to be trans.

“There is pretty solid research to show that house plants wilt if you speak negatively to them all the time and thrive if you compliment them,” Bergman said. “Now, I’m not a botanist, but I’m pretty sure that beings with brains and spines and feelings might also be affected by endless negativity.”

Bergman’s positive outlook on transgender experiences had an impact on the audience.

“When we talk about nothing but depressing stuff, we get into a mindset that causes us to kind of wilt,” senior Emily Colvin said. “What you talk about all the time is what you internalize. To not recognize that there is good stuff is not productive at all. And it’s a negative thing to your internalized dialogue.”

Bergman said trans people are often asked who they think they are and because of that, know who they think they are very well.

“We also think about how we want to be in the world,” Bergman said. “We don’t follow a path. We pretty much all have to forge our own. We have to and it makes us thoughtful. It makes us all recognize that we do have a choice about most things and that we can define and then enact who we think we are. And this is valuable beyond measure.”