Champo, 34 feels more at home in their body now than ever. “In recent years, I have been able to confidently present as queer through my clothes, haircuts, facial hair and overall physicality. This has brought me so much peace. I feel most at home in my body during summer months, when I spend hours on end outdoors living a more active life.”
Ollie 20, feels at home in her body most days. “Wearing more feminine clothes helps me see my body in a new light and feel more comfortable. Feminine clothing has always made me feel at home in my body, for how it can help my more masculine features disappear.”
Merle 32 finds the rise in anti-trans policy “really scary and disappointing. I remember feeling when I was younger like there was progress being made, and there still is, but in today’s political climate I can no longer hold onto the feeling that I have a steady progression towards a brighter future. I think the rise in violence and fear towards queer and trans people, fascism and hatred are growing at the moment, and it means that we need to be brave and support each other.”
For Tove, 23, cutting their hair short helped them feel at home in their body. As well as “wearing a binder and finding clothes that make me feel like me. Being around my friends, and especially my girlfriend, makes me feel very comfortable and safe because they see me as nonbinary.”
Parker, 20, feels kind of at home in his body. He says, “I do feel more at home than in the past, and it’s because I have supportive people around me to help me through bad days. I feel most at home in my body when I’m acting on stage or in my room with my partner.”
Hope, 20, is beginning to feel at home in their body. “I think I’ve become more comfortable with myself as I’ve grown as a person, and that has helped me become comfortable in my gender.”
For Abi, 18, whether they feel at home in their body depends on the situation. “It varies on who I’m around and how they perceive me. I do feel more at home than in the past. I bought my first binder, which helped me come to terms with future transition goals, which I hope, once completed, will help me feel completely at home.”
Nao, 21, is working towards feeling at home in their body. “The biggest thing that has helped is accepting and being confident in my gender. Because once I am comfortable with my identity, my physical appearance matters less. It allows me to breathe and realize that my body is me, and regardless of how I look, I know who I am.”
Jamie, 21, is beginning to feel at home in their body. “It’s like moving into a new house. I’m still adjusting to the layout, but it’s unmistakably mine. Before top surgery, there had been this barrier between me and the rest of the world for about 6-7 years. Now I have two lines, and I love them.”
Daniil, 19, identifies as gender nonconforming and is working on letting go of arbitrary standards set by society. “I used to treat my body like a prison, but now I see it as a reflection of my mental state.” They feel most at home in their body when they “don’t bother defining myself and instead just let my voice fly.”
For Gwen, 21, having a girlfriend who is also trans means “communication is just so much easier because we understand not feeling comfortable in our bodies. We are a lot more careful with each other’s bodies, and finding the type and levels of intimacy each of us enjoys is a really lovely experience.”
Ash, 23, feels much more at home in their body now than in the past. “Living in a trans and disabled body was something I really struggled with for a long time, but having access to testosterone and top surgery helped me make my body feel more like a home than a prison.
Max, 20, has found their own unique aesthetic. “I use my clothes and makeup to express my gender and as an armour to hide behind. It’s taken me a while to feel comfortable again in makeup and dresses, but I’m so happy I have because I just get to make fun, weird little outfits that play with traditional gender ideas.”
For Winter, 19, her long blond hair has become her signature look. “It’s a symbol of me creating an identity for myself. My hair is core to my identity in a lot of ways, and while I was growing it out, a lot of my family members made fun of me or tried to get me to cut it, and the fact that it’s now this long feels kind of liberating to me in a way. Like it’s something I can look at every day and say, ‘I did this wholly myself, and wholly for myself’.”
For Cara, 29, self-confidence has been important. “I was never willing to change to make myself more palatable for others. I was made to feel shame for those things when I was younger, but I realized that I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I’m hairy, I’m fat, I have a mixture of feminine and masculine features, and I’m beautiful.”
Fork, 19, pictured here with his boyfriend Sebastian, who is also trans, first came out as a binary trans man. “I jumped headfirst into it, but now I’ve had more time, I identify more on the non-binary side of masculinity. I count myself incredibly grateful that the only hate I have gotten for being trans was receiving dirty looks in bathrooms, but I even got them pre-transition. At least now I can pull off a mustache, too. It’s horrifying to see all the anti-trans policies around currently; I wish we could all live safely and happily without being banned from bathrooms or sports because of our birth sex.”
Tahlia, 19, believes “that the words that the general public hears when our leaders express negativity and hatred onto us queer folk, order a violent threat onto the community and stresses the way we live entirely.” They are concerned that anti-trans vitriol from politicians will lead directly to violence and other hate crimes. She has had to deal with transphobic attitudes in her everyday life as well. “Judgement is projected on me a lot, but I tell myself, ‘What other people think of me is none of my business’ and continue to live my life in the most comfortable and protected way I can. Yes, I stand up for myself, and yes, I am proud of my identity however, protection is also important.”
Anshul, 22, left India to live openly and prioritize her mental health. “I can now express myself, and although that has nothing to do with my body, my body language is what my body wears, and that is more liberating now than ever before. But at the same time, hearing the transphobic statements of Rishi Sunak here was a bittersweet touch of irony to my journey.”
Kori, 22, can easily recall discrimination he’s faced for being trans. “My three sisters refused to use my pronouns and name for seven years, I was bullied at work for being trans many times, I’ve had people ask what’s in my trousers multiple times, and even had people stop talking to me because they found out I was trans. In the bathroom, there is always someone whispering about “why is this person in here.” He feels the anti-trans hate from politicians is ridiculous. “The UK and US governments know we are here to slay, so they are throwing us under the bus.”
