Gio, United States (he/they)

“There's so many people that will love you for you and they're the only ones worth keeping around."

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

I knew something was off in highschool, but I pushed it down/tried to fit into a cis mould. This lasted until I was 22, when my egg cracked. I was depressed, going through a rough patch and self isolating. I was playing a game where, for the first time, I got invested in a male character role, and felt a happiness I couldn't explain when a character called me "brother". I would later discover this feeling to be gender euphoria.

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

The same year I played that game, I discovered I was transmasculine. I started by confiding in my boyfriend who helped me pick out a name. Not long after I picked out a name and figured out which pronouns suited me best, I went by my new name at my job (the first job I was out to) then I later came out to my parents. Just last year, I began taking testosterone gel.

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

Yes. I love my new name and am comfortable in my identity. As for the testosterone gel, my life hasn't been the best lately, but getting on testosterone definitely feels like a change for the better. Like I'm actually accomplishing a goal I never thought possible.

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

I'd tell him there's so many people that will love you for you and they're the only ones worth keeping around.

If I could do something differently, I'd go back in time and take testosterone sooner so I wouldn't have to deal with another puberty in my mid twenties.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

People will find something about you they don't like, always. If you're marginalized in any way, they're going to nitpick because you don't fit a hyperspecific mould. It won't be easy to be yourself, especially in these times, but I encourage you to do so. By being your true self, can you find security and happiness that those nitpickers will never know.

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

Yes.