Owen, 19, Seattle, Washington
My grandma lives in a nursing home because she suffers from MS and can’t move any of her body except her head. A family friend was visiting who knew me when I was little but I hadn’t seen her since then and never remembered her. She asked my mom “what’s your daughters name? Miley?” My mom told her it was “Marley. But now it’s Owen.”
My grandpa piped in saying that it’s a completely different person, less anxiety, laughs and smiles and is just so happy.
Six years before no one ever saw me that way. I was a shy kid, stuck to my group of friends and eventually secluded myself from everyone and faked sick because I didn’t want to go to school. I was scared to tell my family that I was a boy, scared that they wouldn’t except me. When I did go to school I thought about suicide and what would be the easiest way to do it.
I met some online friends, they were some of the greatest friends I’ve made. I think one incident that really changed me and woke me up was when my online friend Alex attempted suicide. I came home to find a message from her mom saying that she left a note and told her to tell me that she loved me and was sorry for leaving me. Thankfully her mom found her just in time. I cried for at least six hours, my mom came home to me sitting on my couch crying, mine and Alex’s favorite show at the time “Criminal Minds” was about to start and I had to watch it for her even if I was really emotional.
After that I think I woke up a little bit but I still didn’t come out till I was 18. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone, a lot of people said it made a lot of sense.
Now I live about an hour away from my old city. I go to a school where some people know me as the transgender kid and some don’t even know that I am transgender. My dean of students is probably one of the greatest and supportive people I’ve ever met. She always hugs me and asks me how I am and how my transition is going.
I’m now 6 months on testosterone. It’s probably been the greatest year of my life. I am truly blessed.
(Hey everyone, I think this is a really great project. Please excuse my punctuation and everything I have a learning disability and never really understand it!)
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Owen!
If you’re concerned that you or one of your friends might hurt themselves, or you just need someone to talk to, please contact The Trevor Project for help. To find a place to turn in your community, go to wearetheyouth.org/resources. And to share your story, go to http://wertheyouth.tumblr.com/submit
