William, Sweden (he/him)

“I am still the boy you knew, the boy who refused to be silenced. Now, I stand before you as the man you always believed I could become."

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

I discovered I was trans the moment I first accessed the internet at around 14 and found a name for what I had felt my entire life. The word 'transsexual' appeared before me, its definition clear and undeniable, and I knew—without hesitation or doubt. It wasn’t a revelation, nor was it a moment of profound emotional clarity. I simply thought, “Yes, that makes sense. I’ve always known it was something like that.”
Years before, I had already made up my mind: I was going to be a boy. I would insist on it with unwavering certainty, no matter what anyone said or how relentlessly my body tried to contradict me. My resolve was absolute, my identity unshakable.

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

I had always dressed in boy clothes and kept my hair cut short, even from a young age. Looking back at childhood photos now, even sharing them with others, all we see is a little boy smiling back from the past. As a child, my family was surprisingly accepting of this—my expression, my choices, my sense of self.

But everything changed when I reached my teenage years. The acceptance I once knew began to fade, replaced by expectations to conform. Where I had once been free to explore, I was now met with shame and fear, pushed back into a mold that wasn’t mine. I adapted by living a double life: away from home, I held onto the boyhood I had promised myself; at home, I hid.

It wasn’t until I was 24 that I finally told my family I was medically transitioning. I didn’t ask for permission—I informed them. It wasn’t up for discussion. My double life came to an end, merging into one unified existence, the embodiment of my truth.

With my name legally changed, hormones shaping my body, top surgery liberating me, and my legal gender affirmed, I stand complete. This is who I’ve always been—my unchanging truth, the man I am and have always been at my core.

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

The changes have meant everything to me. Testosterone is as precious as liquid gold, a substance so transformative it feels almost mythical. It has been nearly a decade since I received my first injection, and not for a single moment have I doubted my choice. It wasn’t just the right choice—it was the only choice.

Now, I walk through the world unnoticed in the best possible way. Strangers pass by without a second glance, and no one has called me “she” since my voice settled into its deeper register just six months after starting testosterone.

And now, as I write this, I stroke my beard and search for the words to describe the profound magic of these hormones. They didn’t just alter my body—they gave me my life back. They gave me me.

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

I wouldn’t need to say much at all—my presence, my very being, would speak louder than any words. My appearance alone would be enough. But perhaps I would add this: Yes, this is me. This is us. Everything you dreamed of will come to pass. And, most importantly, I would reassure that child with these words: I have kept my promise. I am still the boy you knew, the boy who refused to be silenced. Now, I stand before you as the man you always believed I could become.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I am a man—I have always been a man. Testosterone is my salvation; top surgery gave me freedom, a simplicity to navigate life, but my journey with surgical interventions ends there. I need nothing more. There is no procedure, no advancement in modern medicine, that can give me the perfection I would demand. And so, I have embraced my body as it is.

This body, my body, is beautiful. It is strong. Its muscular and undeniably masculine form embodies everything a man is meant to look like, expected to look like. I care little for the specifics of my anatomy, for I know who I am. And as I did when I was a child, I will continue to insist with unshakable certainty: I am a man.

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

Yes.