This'll be a short one.
Janet Mock has an enviable career, a supportive man, and a fabulous head of hair. But she's also got a remarkable secret that she's kept from almost everyone she knows. Now, she breaks her silence.
I was Born a Boy
Janet Mock is an editor of People Magazine and a popular blogger whose writing can be found here at musings on love. She's released an It Gets Better video, and today her story was published in Marie Claire magazine.
A short excerpt:
When I was 12, my brother and I moved back to Honolulu to live with our mother. Hawaii felt like another universe, and reflecting on it, I am struck by how much more open and accepting it was. The searing social issues there had more to do with locals versus "foreigners" (aka "haoles") than with kids like me. In fact, I even found other boys like me there, and I eagerly gravitated to them. Together we envied girls, their ability to express their femininity without shame; I admired the way their bodies bloomed and rounded out. Not mine. I was beginning to loathe my shapeless body, the straight lines and hard angles.
It's a beautiful article. And very cheering. Out trans public figures are rare as unicorns; trans people outing themselves in the prime of their careers after living a successful life in their true gender for decades are...well, basically unheard-of. So this is historic for the trans community, and wonderful, and the fact that Ms. Mock seems like such a lovely person is a bonus.
Thanks, Ms. Mock, for sharing your story with us.