Nicole

Nicole was strongly in tune with her feminine nature since elementary school. She was born a boy, but never felt aligned with the societal view of being a boy. She would see her sisters and the women in her family doing their hair and makeup together and thought that it was beautiful. Nicole was raised by her grandparents who brought her up in a very religious household and so she was nervous to come out to her family about her identity.

At 17 years old, Nicole realized that she wanted to be a woman. She started her transition by wearing wigs and she loved how beautiful and feminine she felt with long hair. She was so impressed by the inner strength the women in her family exuded, and she wanted to emulate that. That said, she did find herself going through some extremely dark times, from feeling suicidal to experiencing instability in her childhood, along with some members of her family not accepting her identity.

Now, at 22 years of age, Nicole is proud of who she is. Her identity and sexuality were something that took years to understand and accept, especially with the added difficulty of having a disability. She feels thankful to Alta California Regional Center because of the help she received from her Service Coordinator for a home placement. Nicole feels independent and is happy living with her roommates, which feel like an extension of family for her.

Nicole would like to continue to transition and plans to further her journey after she starts working. She wants those who may be struggling to accept their identity and sexuality for fear of what their family may think to know that the LGBTQIA+ community accepts them and to not let anyone else dictate how they feel about their identity.