Just like any typical young lady, Emily has lived a life filled with ups, downs, heartache and happiness. She has found the strength to live the life that she was meant to have. Emily was biologically born a male and is living as transgender and bisexual female. Her story helps us to better understand persons that are living with this daily, the struggles they have to endure, as well as inequality and other social injustices that they may face. With politics and conservative beliefs aside, we all need to leave our preconceived notions behind and hear a story being told by this brave young woman. Learning to understand and accept our differences is what makes us human.
"Don't let others tell you how to live or how to be. Do, and be what makes you truly happy. And remember that there is love in this world, always love.”
P.A.R.C. Mag: What was life like for you growing up? Describe where you grew up, family life, etc.
Emily: "Life was rather difficult growing up. I grew up in a house located near farmland. School life was always difficult. Anxiety plagued me almost every day. My anxiety got so bad that my mom had to homeschool to me to protect me from the toxic environment that school was for me then. I chose to go to a different school for middle school and high school, it got bad again and when I realized I was transgender I went back home to stay. I live in a very conservative area, and growing up I didn't know why I felt different from others. My family life was a bit better, though I did have communication problems with my dad and preferred to spend time with my mom doing fun activities."
P.A.R.C. Mag: When did you notice that you were different, or felt like a girl trapped in a boy's body?
Emily: "I started to truly notice around seventeen years of age. Before, I didn't know why I felt different from others. After watching the Jazz interview on 20/20 I was made aware that transgender was a thing."
P.A.R.C. Mag: How are you dealing with some of the pressures of being a transgender and bisexual female? What instances do you find hardest to fit in or be accepted?
Emily: "I deal with the pressure of having others be there for me, like my mom for instance. She was the first one I ever came out to. When I told her, she said, quote, "Awesome! I have a daughter now!" I find it hardest to fit in or be accepted in public places. I'm always nervous, especially when I use a women's restroom. I find being bisexual stressful because some people don't understand it. Bisexuals are harassed just as much as gays and lesbians. I have been called a ‘fag’ online once before. I dealt with that by telling them they were jealous and I sent them a photo of two girls kissing, then blocked them."
P.A.R.C. Mag: Are you receiving any medical treatment or therapy to help you during your transition? Do you also plan to do the gender assignment surgery? Have you? If so, what was that like? How did you feel?
Emily: "I am currently receiving medical treatment. My doctor has given me pills to increase my estrogen and another pill called a blocker which stops male hormones from being made. Not all transgender people go through gender assignment surgery. Asking someone who is transgender about that is considered very rude because it's their own personal business and private matter. People don't go around asking cisgender people about their privates, so asking a transgender person about theirs is inappropriate. It's one of the most invasive questions we get asked."
By: KC Loesener