Fritz, United States (he/him)

“(I would tell my younger self:) You're a boy, dumbass. Tell your parents and get on puberty blockers RIGHT NOW."

Was there a definitive moment you realized you were trans? How old were you?

I had always felt like a boy, but I didn't quite understand what that meant. I hated being forced to be grouped with the girls at school, I would scream and cry when I had to wear a dress, and I always gravitated towards the interests boys typically had.

When I was 12, I began to become more aware of what being transgender meant. I was fascinated by trans men. I related to them. Despite that, I denied those feelings, shoved them in a box, and pretended to be a "girl".

But my gender dysphoria kept getting worse. I couldn't look at my developing chest without crying. I was terrified of getting my first period. My heart would sink whenever somebody would call me a "she".

The moment it fully hit me was at the 7th grade school dance. I had gotten my hair cut short recently, and I showed up to the dance in a suit. There were boys there who came up to me and invited me to play video games with them. They called me bro, they treated me like one of them. They SAW me as one of them.

That was the first time I had experienced gender euphoria. At the moment, I went, "holy shit. I'm transgender."

How soon after did you start to make changes? What were these changes?

I got a binder and started to wear more masculine clothes. I started to go by he/him pronouns, picked my name, and began to be like any other middle school boy. I'm going to begin testosterone in a month or two.

Have these changes started to make you feel more comfortable in your life and body?

Yes, very much.

What would you tell your younger self? Would you do anything differently?

You're a boy, dumbass. Tell your parents and get on puberty blockers RIGHT NOW.

Do you have a favorite/funny transition moment?

I have a naturally deep voice, deeper than most AFAB people I know. When I was little, due to that fact, as well as how I acted, other children believed that I was a boy with long hair.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

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Have the gender-affirming steps you’ve taken impacted your overall happiness and sense of well-being?

Yes.