Aiden

I grew up in Northwest Indiana in Lake Station, which is about an hour from Chicago. I attended a small high school and where I had been labeling myself as gay. I wasn't familiar with the idea of being transgender in high school, in fact I had never met someone trans until moving to West Lafayette. I began classes at Purdue University and chose to major in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a minor in LGBTQ Studies. It wasn't until after I started my Women's Studies courses that I began to connect my own identity with the term transgender.

I came out as transgender and began transitioning my sophomore year of college. In September of 2017 I started testosterone injections. I feel like I am getting closer to being my true self every day. With this new identity of being trans I worry more about being accepted in Indiana than I did in the past when I was identifying just as a gay female. When I cut my hair and started transitioning from female to male I felt as though it became much easier for me to use men's restrooms, almost like a passing privilege. That passing privilege being the idea that I looked more like a young boy than a female who may identify as transgender but has not started the transitioning process. I consider Indiana to be a more conservative state regarding acceptance of the LGBTQ community, however I personally have not experienced any issues regarding prejudice of my own identity.

My biggest fear when it comes to living in Indiana is the state of healthcare. With the Trump administration being unpredictable, no one knows the future of healthcare. As someone who is transitioning, I fear inequality will infiltrate the healthcare system. Since I have begun transitioning, I worry about the next step in regards to my personal healthcare such as legally changing my gender and the surgical qualifications that come with the legality of that process. I do feel however that I have had a lot of positive influences along the way that have helped me on my transitioning journey.

Purdue University has been an extremely supportive and safe space for me. Professors and staff members, specifically those in Women's Studies, have gone out of their way to make me feel more accepted. Faculty has shown accommodation by using everyone's preferred names and pronouns. The most recent milestone in my journey is my upcoming court date to legally change my name – it's actually set for next week! Although I do not see Indiana as my forever home, I am grateful for the experience I have had thus far.