by Alexis

Becoming Herself: A Trans Woman’s Journey Through Identity and Survival

 My name’s Alexis. I’m from Brownsville, Texas.  I grew up very feminine in a conservative family. We grew up on the southern border and I kind of was just developiEventually I got the support from the community that I had, that they were… they were the ones that really made me feel like no matter what you do, if you wanna do it, if you do...

by Chris Walker

HIV Diagnosis Leads to Hope, Healing, & Purpose

 Hey, I’m Chris and I’m from Memphis, Tennessee.  I kind of always realized that I was a little bit different. You know, in school I was always called gay before I And at this time I really kind of, like, didn’t know too much about HIV or anything. Like I knew what they told you in school, right? But like, I didn’t know about PrE...

by Daniel

Oprah, Rap & Naked Yoga: One Gay Man’s Coming Out Journey to Finding His Community

Hi, I’m Daniel, from Houston, Texas.    When I was 11 years old, I was at my aunt’s house and my mom happened to be watching an episode of Oprah. I noticed it waSo I went a little bit back into my shell, but I would hear comments on a pretty regular basis about who I was when we were talking about things like top and bottom. I remember gu...

by Gary Lane

Gay Man Frees Himself from the Grip of Addiction. “My Life Started to Get Better.”

Hi, my name’s Gary Lane. I’m from Austin, Texas.  I don’t remember exactly when, but I think it was either late high school or maybe right after. One day just aI have a lot of gratitude behind that, mostly because I was able to do it without getting loaded, but also that I’m having all these feelings and I’m not running from ...

by Dario

From Peer Pressure & Unhealthy Habits to Pride & Self Love: How One Gay Man Turned His Life Around.

My name is Dario and I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. So I grew up in a fairly religious environment. I remember one time being pulled aside by this lady. I didn’t know So fast-forward to present moment, and I’m still very active. That manifests in, I’ve joined a queer kickball league, which is a sport that I never played when I was a...

by Bethany Cyrtmus-Davaul

From HRT to FIFA: Trans Athlete Joins a Women’s Soccer Team – Then Creates Her Own

I’m Bethany Cyrtmus-Davaul, and I’m from Hudson, Wisconsin.  When I was 28-years-old, in my condo in Chicago, sitting on my nice wine red couch, I was watching some YWe currently play in the WPSL league, which is one of the largest women’s soccer leagues in the world. It’s the highest level of women’s soccer in the U.S. that isn’t prof...

by Sharlot

Trans Parenthood: Daughter’s Birth Inspires Woman to Live Authentically.

Hi, I’m Sharlot and I am from San Antonio, Texas, originally.  I have a 3-year-old daughter. She was born three months before the start of the pandemic. And so I was still Eventually, I come out to my parents who are very supportive. I come out to my ex and we decide that it’s best to separate. I start socially transitioning, and I just start ...

by Daniel

Back On Track: Gay Man Finds Fulfillment By Prioritizing His Dreams Over Partying & Distractions.

My name is Daniel. I’m from Guanajuato, Mexico. And when I was 15 years old, I moved to the United States, specifically Reno, Nevada. Ever since when I was a little kid, I aI decided to join some groups here in Austin that focused on entrepreneurship and starting your own business. I applied to work at one of my favorite gyms in town, finally got a j...

by Erica Nix

Keeping Austin Weird: How One Queer Woman Learned to Let Her Freak Flag Fly.

I’m Erica Nix. I’m from Arlington, Texas. Arlington, when I was growing up, was a pretty conservative place. It wasn’t really that cool to be different, and I al...