I am a different kind of boi, one who has had to live two lives before becoming one. I'm different, because I was born biologically a female, raised as a female, who later in life transitioned to living as a male. 

I attended high school at Washington Irving, in Manhattan, when it was still an all girls school. It was excruciating to have to pretend I was happy living my life as it was in that environment. I was constantly asked if I was a lesbian, because, no matter how I dressed, the boi in me showed through. Girls would always ask me if I liked them, or if I wanted to kiss them when in reality I was only “crushing” on Michael Jackson. The boys in my neighborhood wanted to know why my shoulders were so broad, or why my hands were so big, one guy even asked me, “Are you a boxer?” It all seems so silly to me now, but as a kid trying to figure it all out, it was very painful, trying to deal with the confusion on a daily basis.

To read more of Iden Campbell's (founder of the Campbell Center) story, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/interac...ries/iden-d-campbell

 

As part of a series of editorials about transgender experiences, we are featuring personal stories that reflect the strength, diversity and challenges of the community. Welcome to this evolving collection.

[See the collection here http://www.nytimes.com/interac...ll/transgender-today]