I was the stereotypical tomboy growing up: I hated the colour pink, had no interest in dolls, and actively fought against being put in dresses. When puberty began between 5th and 6th grade, I cried at being unable to fit my favourite hand-me-down clothes from my older brother. I was miserable when my mom took me shopping for training bras.

I lived with a persistent feeling that something was off about me and my life until one morning in 10th grade journalism class. While browsing the net on a school laptop, I happened to come across the Wikipedia page for transsexual. I’d never heard of it before. I read the page from top to bottom during that class. My heart was racing, I had chills, and I felt scared for seemingly no reason. Everything seemed to click into place in that moment, and I knew I was reading about myself.

Naturally, my sexuality flipped from heterosexual to homosexual. It felt natural and right and how things were always meant to be, and I never had cause to question it.