Coming Out Stories

Kasey Dunn

My name is Kasey Dunn. I am an 18 year old FtM trans and am attending Mohawk Valley Community College. My coming out story began when I was in 6th grade. Everyone always asks me “How did you know you were trans?” Well, my answer to that is, I felt different and like something about me was wrong. Around 8th grade I tried cross dressing for my first time. In that moment I felt comfortable with myself. I had finally found what was wrong. I didn’t come out as transgender until two years later, during the middle of my 10th grade year. In 9th grade I had tried coming out, but I met this boy that loved me as a female, so I stayed like that for him for 11 months until it became unbearable. It was hard breaking up with him but had to be done because I wasn’t able to be who I was supposed to be while in that relationship. But coming out in 10th grade wasn’t easy either. I didn’t have much support when I first came out as transgender. I went through a lot of phases between 7th grade and 10 grade to fill the void of me not being the boy I was supposed to be so everyone assumed this was another phase of mine. Two years later, I was a senior in high school. I finally had friends and family who supported me for who I wanted to be and I embraced everything about myself. Then on May 10th, 2017, my whole world changed when I started hormone replacement therapy. Around 11th grade people started acknowledging that I “wanted” to be a male but didn’t take me seriously until I actually started hormones. Until I started hormones, waking up every morning and going about my day was harder than any cisgender person would understand. There were days that it physically hurt to be in the body I was born into. Other days it was just hard to get out of bed period. Facing the world in a body that isn’t supposed to be yours is the most painful thing I have experienced. But now, being almost 5 months testosterone, I can finally love myself and face the world more confidently. There are still days that are really hard but patience is the key to getting to where you need to be.