My Journey as a Transgender Man and being back at my HS Alma Mater for Public events
On Friday April 20th 2018 I went to go see Avonworth's production of 1776. Now for those who who may not know I was very much involved in Band, Chorus, and Musical during my High School days. I graduated from Avonworth in 2012. Most of the parents who were there who knew me since 7th grade are no longer there, they are no longer involved with musical or band. If any of them are still there it is because they have another kid at the school. Many of these parents who are still there knew me by my dead name which was my birth name. Yes I do refer to my birth name as my dead name because that name is no longer my legal name. A little over 3 years ago I came out as a Transgender Man, I have been on testosterone for a little over 2 years. January 25th 2019 will be my 3 year anniversary being on Testosterone or Vitamin T as I sometimes call it. I remember the first Avonworth Musical I went to ever as an Avonworth Student was Into the Woods in 2003, in 2009 my 3rd year in the musical first time in the Pit Orchestra was Into The Woods, In 2015 I went to go see Suessical and that was when I started to come out to some of my friends in the musical who were still there and I had support from majority of the people I knew but because I wasn't on T yet I still kept getting dead named and misgendered (which is understandable to some point because some of these people have known me for a really long time). When my mother was looking for me in the lobby at back in 2015 and asked "Where's my child" she was being gender neutral because she was trying not to mess up my pronouns and another parent who knew me from musical and band said "oh your Daughter...." and dead says my used my birth name "went that way" and my mother kindly said "I don't have a daughter, I have a son, his name is Patrouious or Pat for short" and that parent flat out said to my mother "No She's a Girl, God Makes No mistakes" and blah blah blah and this really angered my mother. So in 2016 Was my first year testosterone and I went to go see Into the Woods. Ever since that confrontation my mother had with that parent I have refused to use the bathrooms at Avonworth anytime I went to the musical or to a concert because I was afraid that parent who confronted my mother would confront me for using the men's restroom and bring up how "God makes no mistakes." 2017 I was on T for a Full year on T. I went to the musical at my High School Alma Mater and the concert and I had obvious changes in my appearance from the testosterone and I still refused to use the bathroom because I was afraid to get confronted by that same parent that confronted my mom if I were to use the restroom that matched my gender identity. In 2017 I got asked to judge graduation projects so I go to judge the graduation projects and so we kind of had a break and I really needed to pee. So I went into the men’s room to relieve my bladder and guess what all that happened was me relieving my bladder and when I was done I washed and dried my hands and left and I had zero confrontations. I found out that my old choir director was retiring that same year so I went to the class of 2017 Graduation just to give my former choir director a card and to support my one of my God Siblings who was graduating. I remember when I went up to my former Choir director to congratulate him on his retirement and to give him his card there was a parent who knew me because I was in marching band with their child and they were talking to my former choir director and I am just waiting because I run on a busy schedule and I had other things to do. So I am waiting and when they leave the director they turn with their child look at me and they look discussed by my appearance and they quickly flea. I gave my former director the card and we had a lovely conversation and that director was chill. There was no negative reaction, there was no freak out, there was no confrontation, just a normal conversation. I have now been on Testosterone for about 2 years and 3 months now soon to be 2 years and 4 months and I am the happiest man on this planet. I had my name legally changed last month on the 23rd of March, majority of my documents say Male and have my legal name on it I will be working on getting a new passport this Summer. I am planning to get chest reconstruction surgery Later in the Fall or Early 2019. I went to use use the men’s restroom at my High School Alma mater after the show because I really needed to pee and you know what happened? I took a tinkle and a did a number 2, wiped, wash my hands and left. I full on support from people who actually knew me. What people don’t understand is that Transgender People are NORMAL HUMAN BEINGS. We aren’t sick, We aren’t perverts, We aren’t creeping on your spouses or even your children, We aren’t just making excuses to use the bathroom we are comfortable with using. We are the gender that WE IDENTIFY AS. We are NORMAL Human beings. For 3 years I have attended a production at my High School Alma Mater as my TRUE authentic self. I hope that if there is ever a person in that school who is transgender that they get treated with respect, they be allowed to use the restroom they are comfortable with using, that other parents don’t dead name them, that they don’t get misgendered, and that they are over all ACCEPTED at that school. I had to wait to come out as Transgender. I always knew that I was Transgender but back when I was in school we weren’t allowed to talk about gender identity. When I was in High School we weren’t allowed to talk about homosexuality unless it was negative. Bullying against members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Queer+ community would constantly get bullied, and in the past no matter how many times bullying was reported, nothing was done. My HS Alma Mater now has a GSA club which yes a small group of parents did oppose the club but the school board still gave the club approval to be a club at the school. We should have had that GSA club along time ago.
