The People Who Got Me To Stay

High school as a transgender person is immensely hard; this sounds like an extreme reiteration of every transgender person’s story, and truthfully it is, but the sheer intensity of the bullying, discrimination, and polarization I have experienced since I came out two years ago is utterly insane.

I began socially transitioning in January of 2021, and the places I found my safe space in are, arguably, the most overly gendered spaces: Theater and Choir. The first teacher I told about any part of my identity was my chorus teacher. I very quickly divulged to her every issue I had with society’s expectations of queer people – the pressures of coming out – but also how important it is to experience one’s identity to the fullest. I talked about my fears of coming out because I was in such gendered spaces. I had just been cast as Daryl in the musical “Bright Star,” which I was amazing in, by the way – and yet I wanted to thrive as a trans woman. This was so surprising to say because this was my first time vocalizing myself as a trans woman. There was an effervescent joy that filled my life after saying those words.

My teacher, seeing how important this was to me, came up with a plan to help me come out: she would tell the class that I had news to share, then I would explain my transition, how I use "She/Her" pronouns, and that I was "Georgia" now. When the day came around and I came out to my "Men's Ensemble" choir class, there was an immediate, genuine acceptance from everyone in the room. It was so thrilling to be received so politely, especially after I expected hatred and bullying from the class. The most exciting part of my whole journey of coming out was learning, last year, that I was the first trans woman in my choir teacher’s fourteen years of teaching at my high school! It was so beautiful to see the dedication of a teacher to her students that she not only created an incredibly safe environment in all of her classes, but that she also took time to research ways to safely implement policies that support students who are gender-diverse.

In explaining the importance of the allyship I received in my high school experience, I also have to credit my theater teacher. In my junior year, I was facing the hardest year of my life. I had overcrowded my schedule, I was urging my parents to let me start HRT, and, on top of it all, I was being bullied. The bully was in both my AP US History class and my theater class. Initially, he had begun targeting my weight, and quickly, he turned to my transness as the main topic of his bullying. He did the major part of his bullying in my history class, where many parts of bullying came from others as well, along with the occasional misgendering in theater. However, this would ultimately serve him wrong because my theater teacher has a zero-tolerance policy. The one time he loudly misgendered in front of my theater class, my teacher kicked him out. This would lead to a downfall in his bullying of me, as he would refuse to learn any lines for our theater, which ultimately resulted in the end of his antagonization.

In the short time of knowing these teachers, I have received nothing short of unconditional respect and love from each of them. They put so much of their heart and soul into their work for students, and I cannot convey how amazing they have made safe spaces. These teachers are the reason I am alive today, and they are the reason I’m a strong, out, and proud transgender woman. Not only have they helped me in school, but they have also taken such an important part in my life outside of school. I cannot thank them enough for the support, but to my two teachers: thank you.

Written by Georgia, 23-24 NSC Member