Hez’s Story 

Gender: trans non binary

Sexuality: Queer

Pronouns: they / them (☭ comrade works too ☭)

Current home: Seattle, WA

From: I was born and raised in New Jersey. But I haven’t lived there since 1997. I have also lived in Richmond, VA and few cities in Arizona. 

Cultural background/identity: white

Interests: Palestine, community building, social justice, traveling, cats, Alaska, mid century EVERYTHING. I’ve been taking Arabic lessons since last year, and have become quite passionate about it. I have also been trying to find any artistic outlet that I resonate with to help me cope in this world.

I often didn’t feel like I fit into any category growing up.  I was too girly to be a boy, too boyish to be a girl.  Too gay to be straight, too straight to be gay.  And I encountered gatekeeping at every turn, from all of the social groups.  The older I’ve gotten, the more I have come into myself (especially after having top surgery in 2021 & being on and off low dose T for several years).  I’ve become very comfortable in my skin.  I used to think I had to push to look and act certain ways to prove (or hide) my gender and sexuality in the world. Now I’m finally comfortable with all sorts of expressions of myself.  I am who I am.  I dress how I want.  I like/love who I like/love.  The only thing that was in my way was the gaslighting of our society that can cause such unnecessary imposter syndrome.

PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE:  A lot of the joy in this project is seeing the huge, diverse range of human experiences. I also find joy in occasionally meeting people where parts of their trans experience are closer to my own, reducing the isolation that has come with being outside the “gates” of many different queer groups in the past myself. It’s an experience that doesn’t really fall into what many think of as the “trans experience” involving transitioning from one binary gender to another. Being on low doses of T, having top surgery AND being fulfilled staying in longer term relationships married to men is a less common story I encounter, perhaps because society does gaslight us into thinking this is not a possibility.  Thank you Hez, for trusting me to share your story and spending an afternoon at one of Seattle’s iconic parks!

Photos taken August 2024