True Trans

No stranger to being different, Laura Jane Grace always felt like an outsider in the posh Florida suburb where she grew up. It was only in the rebellion of the punk scene and playing music that she found a home. After surviving years of struggle, things finally seemed to be taking off when her band inked its first major record deal. On the inside, though, Laura was buckling under the pressure of being someone she wasn't.

Being a teenager is difficult even under the best of circumstances. Add gender dysphoria to the mix and it can be nearly unbearable. Laura Jane Grace and others discuss how they turned to drugs and alcohol as ways to cope and find a temporary escape.

It was only when Laura Jane Grace came across an article about being transgender as a teenager that she realized what she was feeling had a name. She compares how she first identified as transgender with the experiences of others -- and how popular culture's portrayal of trans people at the time influenced that discovery.

At one point, the loneliness, frustration, and despair proved too great for Laura Jane. She reveals she is among one of the many with gender dysphoria who attempted suicide. Only after hearing stories about other people's transgender experiences did she begin the difficult process of accepting who she really is.

On Facebook. In a Walmart. Laura did it in a bedroom. Some are still waiting. The only thing possibly more difficult than coming to terms with being transgender is telling someone else. When Laura decided to come out to her band, she didn't know what their response would be. But once it was done, she knew nothing would be the same.

It all gets real with the decision to go forward with gender reassignment. When Laura started hormone therapy, she knew it was a significant step in her journey. But what she also discovers is that the physical changes of transitioning are just the beginning.