Such different stories of American transgender teenagers

Transgender teenagers - yes, they exist, and there are many of them. In the United States alone, 40% of the total number of homeless youth (and this is already 1.6 million) are transgender. Of these, 90% left home because of humiliation, quarrels with parents and misunderstanding. Another 75% have experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse. More than 50% of transgender teens attempted suicide before their 20th birthday. Someone succeeded, someone was able to save. But all this is dry facts and statistics. What will help others understand these people better than specific life stories?

(Total 14 photos)

Source: mashable.com

1. Katherine is 19 years old and from Brooklyn. She can be called differently - Bangladeshi, American, gamer, Muslim, future programmer. But not a human... at least that's what her parents told her. Catherine is a ghost in her own house. She lives quietly in the hallway because it's the only place where she doesn't interfere with her family. After suppressing her true identity for 18 years, she finally found the strength and courage to tell her parents. It all ended in quarrel and denial. They were followed by depression and suicidal thoughts. Katherine says that she is not only a prisoner in her own house, but also in her own body.

2. Charlie, 12 years old.

“For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a girl. I wore dresses and heels. Never understood why I had to be a boy when I always wanted to be a girl? My father was furious, he tried to shave my head. My parents divorced when I was four. In the 4th grade, I began to change sex, I have long hair, and I pinned it with a bow. My father still does not communicate with me, he only writes text messages sometimes.

3. AJ, 19 years old.

“People call me ‘transgender’. But these are the ones who pretend to be him in order to be popular. I don't take hormones to change sex, but the world is full of people who don't want to go through the process. I like the way I look, really. It is better to let others change their perception of me than I change myself. Sometimes I wear dresses, I definitely have a feminine side. I like makeup and I can be cute and be a man at the same time.”

4. Lucy, 18 years old.

“I have been in the process of changing sex for five years now. My girlfriend Erica doesn't care what other people think. She says that the main thing is the soul and character. She is very supportive. I know it's best to do a sex change at an early age so that everything goes as smoothly as possible. The only thing that pisses me off is the amount of testosterone in my body. Yesterday I shaved. Hair continues to grow on the face and arms. I still have so much to do.”

5. Morgan, 19 years old.

“I suffered from depression from the age of 13-14. And all because people don't understand me. They stare at me in the streets. In line for the pool, a couple behind me were arguing at the top of their voices whether I was a boy or a girl. In the end, my friends and I left. But soon no one will have any doubts. One of the biggest changes in my life is my voice. Sometimes I wake up feeling like my vocal cords are itching, but my voice is getting deeper, which is cool. Hair has already started to grow on my face. It will be cool when I grow a mustache."

6. Zane, 17 years old.

“The only one who supports me now is my brother. I decided to change gender at the age of 15. I used to try to kill myself. It is also difficult for me because I am from South Asia and I am a Muslim. My parents allowed me to live with them, and I am grateful to them. But that's all - they don't accept me, they just tolerate me. I can't take hormones because parents have to sign permission and they don't. I have already begun to look for shelter for people like me, because it seems to me that when I start taking hormones, my parents will kick me out the door.

7. Nicole, 18 years old.

“My family did not support me. I was considered gay. I was told that I would go to hell, I was threatened. My father said he was ashamed of me. My brother said that it would be better if I had not been born at all. I tried to commit suicide and was taken to the hospital twice. In the third grade, I was taken away from my parents by the guardianship service, because they found drugs on my mother. My caregiver literally saved my life. I don't talk to my family anymore."

8. Chance, 18

“My mother was told that a son would be born, so when her daughter was born, she did not know what to name me. As a result, they chose the name Chance (Chance). My parents are Chinese immigrants, very strict and traditional. When I told my mother that I wanted to change sex, she began to cry. My father didn't want to talk to me at all. But now he is already talking about me “he”, “his”, and this is already something.

9. Eli, 18 years old.

“I think that I have a neutral gender, i.e. I am neither a man nor a woman, but both. The biggest misconception is that you supposedly have to look one way or another. No, just wear what you like. I wear T-shirts and jeans - it's easy to dance in them. Recently bought a jumpsuit - very comfortable and neutral.

10. Quinn, 19

“Already at the age of 3-4, I realized that something was wrong. At the age of 7, doctors diagnosed me with a gender identity disorder. I started taking blockers at 13, which is when my transition began. At first, my father and stepmother did not accept me. But then my stepmother convinced my father to help me with hormones. The results appeared in less than a week."

11. Mona, 19 years old.

“When I started changing gender, people on the streets of New York threw empty bottles at me and my friend. Now I have no one, and I don’t even know if I want to get married. But I want a child. Sometimes I think that I will never be able to get pregnant and have a baby. I’m happy with myself, but sometimes these things kill me.”