The Issues:
Transgender Issues
Personal Stories
On this page we provide a selection of testimony and personal stories from members of the Maryland transgender community. Please click on each name to read the full story.
If you're a member of the transgender community, or if you have a family member, coworker or friend who has transitioned, we'd love for you to share your personal story! Stories help provide the basis for testimony at legislative hearings and also for public education. Please email mary@equalitymaryland.org. (NOTE: stories will not be posted on the website without approval from the author.)
“I think most of us have struggles that are similar, so I'm not going to dwell on that part we all know and despise. You know, the stories about spouses who decide to leave us. Employers who fire us. Churches, friends, and families that reject us. When we make a decision to change our genders, those events are pretty much a given and we know it beforehand. I know. It doesn't make any of it right, does it?”
TerriLee Bell
“On this day we remember our dead, and by extension those who were victims of lesser acts of violence as well as the ostracism that leads to marginalization, depression and suicide. We, no more and no less than any other human beings, deserve to be full participants in society.”
Dana Beyer
“Each time I go into a restaurant or a store, I fear being refused service. I fear my consulting contracts won't be renewed. I fear that when I want to relocate, I won't be able to choose the home of my dreams.”
Mara Drummond
“I came out at work this fall and lost my job.... I was out of work for 2 months; in the previous 25 years I have not been out of work for more than two days against my will. The difference is I have chosen to live my life in a way that friends tell me makes me a nicer, more joyful person.”
Celeste Hall
“I live in a position of privilege simply because I am a straight married woman. Several years ago I committed to using that privilege in consistent and intentional support for full civil rights for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people. Shortly after that, my sister came to me and told me that she is a transgender person, so my advocacy became very personal. Now my sister is living as a woman full-time. I am very proud of my transgender sister.”
Letitia Hall
“To most people, this defines a good citizen, someone we want to have and protect within our community. With regard to this statement, I wish to add, I am a transsexual woman. My decision to transition to life as a woman was a decision to live. To live in truth so I could be of greater service to myself and others. My transition was difficult due to my fear of society and my love for my family.”
Linda Ingram
“I have dealt with blatant discrimination while trying to find work at places like McDonald's and stores at area malls, dealing with taunts and stares while on public transportation, and having ignorant people question why I use the women's restroom. I know first-hand the confusion and rejection that we face can lead to a downward spiral, which is not only painful but can have devastating effects on one's self esteem.”
Falina Laron
“Each person deserves an equal opportunity to make a life for themselves free from discrimination and violence, regardless of the chromosomes with which they were born, the hormones to which they were exposed in the womb, or the medical procedures they've undergone since.”
Ashton Phillips
“I have been discriminated against since I came out and had to re-enter the work force as a girl. Even with an excellent resume and very good references, it was impossible to find a job during the first six months, and I was desperate.”
Maryanne
Click here to return to the Transgender Issues main page.