I knew I was a girl before I could talk. - Ten Oaks Project

I knew I was a girl before I could talk.

Rose

Age 14
Camper since 2012

When I was 3 or 4 I told my mom. She was surprised and asked me why I felt that way. I already knew that I liked the stuff boys aren’t supposed to like. I wanted to dress, wear pink and glittery things, and play with dolls.

Secretly, I could be a girl at home. But outside of my house, I lived a lie. I lived life as a boy.

The first summer I went to Camp Ten Oaks, I was only 9-years-old and I went as a boy. We played a game of Across the Grass and I stepped out when they said, “Please cross the grass if you’re transgender.”

It was a little step and a big step. But it was a step that I didn’t take alone… and for the first time I could see a future that was different for myself.

After camp, I knew I needed to live as a girl. At camp I had finally gotten the permission I needed to seek happiness. So, with the support and help of my parents, I started to transition.

Most people have no idea what it’s like to be transgender. Maybe you do. Maybe you don’t. But I’m pretty sure you know how incredible it feels to be in a place where you’re not the only one. A place where you’re a little less alone.

Today I’m free to be the girl I was born to be.