Daniel’s Story

Gender:  trans masc nonbinary/genderqueer

Sexuality: queer

Pronouns:  he/him

Current home & From: Parkersburg, West Virginia

Cultural background/identity:  Appalachian 

Interests: Playing music, singing, drawing and painting, crochet and knitting, journaling

I grew up mostly in West Virginia. Though I lived in North Carolina as a kid, most of my memories are of here. I’ve always known I was a little different.   I’ve never really understood the concept of the gender binary and sorting people into categories as an excuse to treat them differently, and I wouldn’t say I ever felt like I truly fit into any of these assigned categories. 

When I was around 13 or so, I met someone who was transgender for the first time, and while this person hadn’t yet come out, they introduced me to the term and the community, and they were the first person to express similar feelings as me. This led me into a whole new world, one where there were other people who could understand what I was feeling. 

I’ve been through a few labels, and I was on testosterone for about a year, but have been off for a couple years now due to finances. I’ve experienced homelessness and estrangement from an unaccepting family, and of course my fair share of bullying in school.  However, right here and right now, I couldn’t be more happy with myself and in my body, living my truest life. I hope to be an inspiration to others to always be their truest self, no matter how inconvenient anyone else may find it.