Since the age of 4, I have always known I was living in the wrong body. By the age of 5, I communicated to my mother that I was a boy and needed a sex change. My family was ultra conservative, and I never fit the image that I thought I had to be. Growing up, I went through a lot of depression and suicidal ideation. I was not ready to face society and come out as transgender. I learned to medicate how I felt with drugs and alcohol. I spent the next 24 years identifying as a lesbian. I had girlfriends and even married a woman in 2008 in Canada. I got sober in 2003 to open my own substance abuse … [Read more...]
2019 Hembrough Grant Recipient – Bridge
I was worried about my legal name change for a bit. I worried that my name might be “too weird,” and that I should go for something more traditional. Sure, my name is Bridge, but maybe it should be something else for formal documents? As the two of them saw me fretting over my decision, one of my partners pulled me close and told me, “You’re the Bridge that brings people together—the Bridge that shows friends and loved ones where they need to go and how to get there.” Suddenly, I was calm. And I knew I was doing the right thing. There’s only one Bridge Rousseuax St. Germain, and that … [Read more...]
2019 Hembrough Grant Recipient – Alanna
Up to this day, Alanna has lived her whole life in Kentucky, with limited resources and connections to the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, she did not know she was a part of the community until about 2006; which is when she experienced puberty. She always had a natural discomfort and sadness to her personality, but could never pin-point the source until puberty. Her puberty experience felt like her body was betraying her by changing her body in all of the wrong ways. Even though this was a miserable experience, it at least helped identify the root cause of the negative emotions. Alanna overcame … [Read more...]