The perfect fit: Poulson takes next step in transition from woman to man

Posted: Thursday, June 28, 2012 9:15 am | Updated: 12:18 am, Fri Jun 29, 2012.
By Myra Krieger-Coen

http://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/article_9a95353a-c062-11e1-a296-001a4bcf887a.html

Sitting with his mother, Charlie Poulson, senior in graphic design, listened to his grandmother Ruth as she gushed over her recently purchased Lady Gaga CD. The intimate atmosphere was lighthearted and filled with hilarity. The constant laughter caused his mother's cheeks to turn the same shade as her vibrant pink shirt.

Sitting in the midst of them, it is difficult to imagine the family being anything but at ease. It is as though the family has been left perfectly untouched by hardships. However, that is not the case, as the family has been fighting an ongoing battle with identity and acceptance for almost two decades.

Charles Edward Poulson, the 21-year-old man with piercing blue eyes and the beginnings of a five o'clock shadow, was once female.