Mojave, United States (he/him)

“If you’re reading this and feel like it’s too late, remember that there’s always still time."

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

I didn’t know you could be a trans man until I was 11 years old. I really wanted to be a Minecraft youtuber, but had this fixation in my head where I only wanted to do it if I could be a boy, and I stumbled across the FTM Wikipedia page. Then suddenly, the person whose picture I took in to my stylist for my first “pixie cut” came out as a trans man on tumblr.

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

I started presenting as male online at 11 on my tumblr account, as well as on Minecraft servers/online gaming spaces. I have always had a lower voice, so most people assumed in voice chat that I was just a pre-pubescent guy…which technically, I was.

I came out officially to family in April of 2021, and got on T a few weeks later just before my 21st birthday. I got top surgery in August of 2022, and then a hysterectomy last December in 2024. All my legal gender and name changes were completed by January of last year.

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

Yes. The change was immediate. I feel present in my body and in the world. I can imagine a future for myself when I used to never be able to.

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

I think I would encourage myself to come out sooner…at least before undergrad and college started. I suffered for 2/3 years in undergrad and was suicidal because I forced myself to be closeted. I wish I didn’t put myself through that.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If you’re reading this and feel like it’s too late, remember that there’s always still time.

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

Yes.