A transgender teenager has opened up about the process of coming out to her entire school - and the letter she wrote to do it.
Having been aware of her gender identity since early childhood, 14-year-old Gia decided she didn't want to keep any more secrets.
“I figured I’ve already been hiding for 13 years and if I transitioned in a new school I’d just be keeping another secret,” she said in an on-camera interview with “So I decided to write a letter to my entire school.”
She continued: “The letter just said this is how I’ve been feeling for the past 13 years and that I will be coming to school in what society says is girls clothes and I’ll be identifying with she/her pronouns."
“I didn’t want to just go out into my school and surprise everybody,” she added.
Despite some anxiety over how her classmates would respond, Gia said most were welcoming and supportive.
A coalition of over 50 LGBTQ rights organisations marched for trans youth rights earlier this year. Source: Getty Images
“I was very nervous because... it was my biggest secret and only a couple of people knew,” she said.
“I was very surprised to see that they were supportive of me,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been able to open up and blossom more.”
Gia, who is the founder of GenderCool, an organisation aiming to raise the visibility of trans teens, wanted to “give everybody time to think and reflect” on her trans identity before seeing her present as female for the first time.
“Being transgender is just one part of you and there’s so much more to the inside of someone,” she said.
