Gender from the inside out
Port Of Seattle
By Meg Krugel
Feb 20 2009
http://colorsnw.com/colors/2008/09/24/cover-story-gender-from-the-inside-out/ (http://colorsnw.com/colors/2008/09/24/cover-story-gender-from-the-inside-out/)
There wasn't an exact moment when they knew.
For the five people of color featured in this article, outward changes started at different ages ranging from 5 to 33. Inward changes happened much before that. The realization of feeling "different," as far as gender identity was concerned, continued in various ways – when one kissed a third-grade crush of the same sex because he felt more masculine than feminine; when, as a 5-year-old, another felt out of place wearing "boy" clothes and put on pearls instead; when a woman's basketball team supported him through the beginning stages of his transition from female to male; when yet another was forced into "early retirement" from her position as a deputy sheriff.
We often don't read about trans people of color, unless it is a murder report. This is a nice article about several POC who are doing well despite the difficulties they encountered. Some of the names I recognized, others were new to me. I hope to read more about them, and others, in the future.