I came out around 25 publicly.

Deep down, my mom had long suspected I was gay... Much of her anger and hurt came from her sense of betrayal that she was the last to be told.

When you transition, everyone kind of has to transition around you.

I feel really good, I feel like a man now, and I'm really happy.

Around 2001, I started analyzing lesbians. I started to realize that even really butch-acting or -dressing women still had a strong female identity that I never had.

I came out even with all the struggles I endured on Rikers Island.