Hi, I& #39;m a girl.
My name used to be Samuel Elliot.
I used to have an enormous beard.
I fathered a child.
I& #39;ve sung tenor and bass.
My body hair used to be like a forest.
I played on boys& #39; sports teams as a kid.
But I& #39;m a girl.
My name used to be Samuel Elliot.
I used to have an enormous beard.
I fathered a child.
I& #39;ve sung tenor and bass.
My body hair used to be like a forest.
I played on boys& #39; sports teams as a kid.
But I& #39;m a girl.
My names, appearance, relationships, and social roles have changed since I came out as transgender.
They align more, now, with who I really am.
It& #39;s such a relief.
And I& #39;m so relieved and looking forward to these things continuing to change to better align with who I am.
They align more, now, with who I really am.
It& #39;s such a relief.
And I& #39;m so relieved and looking forward to these things continuing to change to better align with who I am.
I don& #39;t know who needs to hear this.
But the fact that I used to have a boy& #39;s name doesn& #39;t mean I& #39;m a boy.
The fact that I used to have a beard doesn& #39;t mean I& #39;m a boy.
The fact that I& #39;ve previously been treated, socially, as a boy doesn& #39;t mean that I& #39;m a boy.
But the fact that I used to have a boy& #39;s name doesn& #39;t mean I& #39;m a boy.
The fact that I used to have a beard doesn& #39;t mean I& #39;m a boy.
The fact that I& #39;ve previously been treated, socially, as a boy doesn& #39;t mean that I& #39;m a boy.
The fact that I (for now) have a penis doesn& #39;t mean I& #39;m a boy.
I& #39;ll say that again.
The fact that I (for now) have a penis doesn& #39;t mean I& #39;m a boy.
I& #39;ll say that again.
The fact that I (for now) have a penis doesn& #39;t mean I& #39;m a boy.
I am not defined by my genitals. Even if, for most of my life, society named and shaped and treated me based on my genitals.
I& #39;m a girl.
My name is Samantha Elisheva (Shuli Elisheva in Hebrew).
I keep my face smooth.
I& #39;m a mom.
I& #39;m training my voice to sing more femininely.
I& #39;m undergoing body hair-removal.
My friends, family, and colleagues call me a girl.
But none of that makes me a girl.
My name is Samantha Elisheva (Shuli Elisheva in Hebrew).
I keep my face smooth.
I& #39;m a mom.
I& #39;m training my voice to sing more femininely.
I& #39;m undergoing body hair-removal.
My friends, family, and colleagues call me a girl.
But none of that makes me a girl.
I don& #39;t understand the scientific complexity of sex and gender.
I& #39;m not sure anyone really does.
I& #39;m not sure anyone really does.
I didn& #39;t choose to be a girl.
I didn& #39;t choose to be transgender.
In fact, I didn& #39;t want it. I fought it. I denied it. I tried to ignore it.
The first thing I googled, after finally realizing I might not be cisgender, was:
"What if I don& #39;t want to be transgender?"
I didn& #39;t choose to be transgender.
In fact, I didn& #39;t want it. I fought it. I denied it. I tried to ignore it.
The first thing I googled, after finally realizing I might not be cisgender, was:
"What if I don& #39;t want to be transgender?"
I am a girl.
It is wired into my body.
My body was born with mixed signals. It produced male organs. But it also, for whatever reason, is also so fundamentally female that I suffered such emotional torture and anguish until finally accepted this truth that I am a girl.
It is wired into my body.
My body was born with mixed signals. It produced male organs. But it also, for whatever reason, is also so fundamentally female that I suffered such emotional torture and anguish until finally accepted this truth that I am a girl.
My current feminine name and appearance don& #39;t make me a girl any more than my previous masculine name and appearance made me a boy.
I am taking actions to make my name, appearance, and other aspects of my life align with the fact of my being a girl.
But regardless, I& #39;m a girl.
I am taking actions to make my name, appearance, and other aspects of my life align with the fact of my being a girl.
But regardless, I& #39;m a girl.
I don& #39;t know who needs to hear this.
But if it& #39;s you, please know:
Gender is not defined by genitals alone.
Nor is it a choice.
It is deeply embedded, somehow, in our bodies in ways that still have yet to be scientifically understood.
But if it& #39;s you, please know:
Gender is not defined by genitals alone.
Nor is it a choice.
It is deeply embedded, somehow, in our bodies in ways that still have yet to be scientifically understood.