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Stories

In Their Own Words

The quotes below and appearing elsewhere on the USTS website were drawn from a story collection effort conducted by NCTE that ran alongside the 2022 USTS. Respondents were presented with the opportunity to voluntarily share their story after completing the survey, and submissions were collected and stored separately from responses to the 2022 USTS. All 2022 USTS survey data are anonymous. These stories have been edited for length and clarity and names were changed to protect the privacy of participants.

I was once still pinned under the sex I was assigned at birth, burned out and depressed and frustrated. But now I am free, accepted, loved, and as happy as ever, as the woman that I am and always was.

Rowan

My whole life has been affected by the fact that my family was very accepting of me. I'm not exactly sure why, but both of my parents always supported my gender and sexual expression even before it was popular to do so. They would intervene at school and in the neighborhood, so I never had the problems that most people had growing up. As I get older (I'm over 50), I realize how important this was.

Amanda

Therapy alone has helped tremendously and I know now that I’m not alone. I’m happy to have support from friends even if my family isn’t supportive.

Anonymous

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  • Obtaining hormone therapy through the informed consent model and having access to surgery has definitely changed my life for the better. It certainly didn’t fix all of my problems instantly, but it fixed a lot of problems that my dysphoria caused. Now that I’ve been on HRT and had surgery, I can live my day to day life without pain, dissociation, and misery.

    Taylor

  • As a Muslim, most other LGBT people who interact with me choose to ignore my faith at best. Recently, I had an experience with another adult LGBT person helping me through some resurfacing trauma where he openly recognized my Muslim identity and chose to help me recognize the traumas in a Muslim context. This was possibly the most healing experience I have ever had surrounding some especially deep traumas.

    Vista

  • I have come to understand that transition is a spiritual process, and any perceptible changes are nothing more than passing manifestations of inner understanding. I am changed, yet I have never changed at all. I am happier, healthier, and five years sober with no interest in starting to drink again.

    Helena

  • When I was thinking about transitioning with hormones, I spoke to my gynecologist about it. She was absolutely fabulous with sharing the knowledge that she had about testosterone and providers to avoid, but also was open and willing to discuss information that she was not educated about. She sat with me for another 30 minutes taking notes about how she and her clinic can be more supportive of the trans and queer community. I was overjoyed to see the changes the clinic had made when I returned in the following months.

    Ashley

  • I am in a strongly affirmative university at the moment, and I have had the opportunity to experience what it is like when universities succeed with inclusion. the university has a transgender guide that lists all of the gender-neutral bathrooms on campus, and detailed information on how to legally change my name in my state and with other federal agencies.

    Madlyn

  • When I was younger, I was always afraid that I would never be accepted as transgender while currently having a job. I thought that people like me couldn't have jobs working with the public or could actually be "out" in the workforce, from the fear of being misunderstood and discriminated against.

    Milo

  • As an out and proud nonbinary, queer therapist of color, it's so powerful to connect with clients who have sought me out because of my identities and also share one or more of my identities. It's been an honor and a joy to support my clients through addressing their gender identity and sexual orientation needs.

    Jamy

  • The military supports my transitioning and it also pays for the whole process. It’s just a very, very slow wait.

    Anonymous

  • I’ve had to travel constantly within the country and abroad to keep a roof over my head. I have been fortunate enough to have had some resources to be able to provide that for myself when there hasn’t been a friend’s couch or extra room available to me.

    Chanel

  • I have issues navigating through public spaces due to social anxiety. Whenever people stare at me, I immediately think that they're clocking me. I sometimes get panic attacks in the middle of the grocery store because I feel like everyone is judging me. I'm working on changing that, but it can definitely hinder me from doing things I want and need to do.

    Vanessa