• ​​​Arriving, Finally, As My Chosen Name  

  by Spencer Katz

  I had recently cut my hair short for the first time. At school, a male friend saw me and said, “You look like a boy,” and it felt validating, especially coming from a boy. Then, it started to click that maybe I wasn’t the girl I thought I was. 

• Falling in Love for the First Time

  by E.M.

  My senior year started out amazing. I was on top of all my work, getting the best scores I could get, and making new friends. I was about to become the second person in my family to graduate high school. Adding to my excitement, I also met a girl who sat next to me in English class.

• Learning About Feminism in the U.S.

  by Marin Yamaguchi

  In Japan, most mothers stay home with their children. I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about this—I assumed I would be a mom who stayed home with her kids too. But after I moved to New York City from Tokyo, I noticed that most moms work.

• How We Got an All-Gender Bathroom

  by Sydney Henriquez

  I joined my school’s Gender Sexuality Extra (GSX) club with my friend Laura at the beginning of junior year. We are both part of the LGBTQ community and wanted to join a group that is accepting of everyone’s differences. At the first meeting, we all went around in a circle and said our names and pronouns.

• How I Found My Gender Identity

  by J.P.

  Even though I have a man’s body, I have never felt male. My parents taught me that a guy has to be strong, have many girlfriends, and be the one who supports the family. This is how men are described in my Dominican family.