Laverne Cox Presents: 'The T Word' Full Documentary | MTV

[hands clapping]

[♪ music ♪]

L: When a baby is born, one of the
first questions asked is, "Is it a boy?

Or is it a girl?"

Z: This is my room.
Beware of girliness.

L: But what if it is not that
simple?

Kye's Mother: Reality is
you were born to be as a female.

Z: I was ten when my counselor
told me that I was transgender.

K: I was at daycare. Okay, now boys
go over here. Girls go over here.

So, I walk over with the boys,
and they're like, "No, um, you're

actually supposed to be over here
with the girls, sweetie. Ha, that's cute."

D: I've been identifying as female
for five years now.

A: All of a sudden, all of my friends
had to stop calling me Ariana,

and they had to call me Ari.

L: In the next hour, you'll meet seven brave
young men and women who will show

us what it means to
defy expectations.

K: I am the first openly Division 1
trans athlete.

L: To take risks and make changes.

S: It wasn't just coming out. It was how
am I going to do all of these medical

things, and I'd never had
a major surgery before.

L: And even endured discrimination
and violence.

D: I remember him like running after
me, and he like ...(Crying) I'm sorry.

L: Just to have the same freedom to
live their lives authentically as who

they knew they were meant to be.
I'm Laverne Cox, and this is

'The T Word.'

[♪ Music ♪]

L: For many of us, the T in LGBT means
more than transgender.

It also means 'Truth.'
When someone is trans, it means

they identify differently from the gender
they were assigned at birth, based

on genitalia. Gender isn't black or white.
Even Facebook recently added over

fifty choices for people to identify their
own gender from transsexual to cisgender,

and gender fluid. So it can be kind of
confusing for some people to understand.

But the most important thing to know about
how individuals identify their gender is

that it is not about what is in their
pants. It's about what's in their hearts

and minds.

K: When I was five years old, I knew that
I was a boy. I didn't question it. That's

just what I was.

A: When I was like fifteen,
I realized that I was so depressed wearing

clothes that people expected me to wear,
and how to look and act certain ways.

S: I started exploring my gender identity
when I was about fourteen. That whole

period of time for me, I was just very
depressed. I hated myself because I felt

inherently wrong.

[♪ music ♪]

L: People transition at different points in
their lives, but many trans people,

like 18 year old Ari, report knowing their
true identity from early childhood.

A: Hey guys. I'm Ari. Welcome to my house.
Come on in. I'm from NYC. I'm eighteen

year old, and I love music. This guitar I
just got for my birthday. It's a beautiful

instrument. Thanks Mom and Dad.
This is an ASCAP award, and I won

it for my songwriting and stuff.
I've been playing music and singing

and songwriting since I was about three.
I want to make it my career, and I love

it so much.

Looking for Ariana. Where is she?
Oh, there she is.

I knew I was a boy since I was really
little, since I could dress myself.

I always dress up in like boy outfits.
I only had guy friends, and we always

used to like scream at the girls and tease
the girls, and there is something about

me that just never connected
with like a female.

There's my little pumpkin.

Mellon bar. I have these things.

Do you have any peaches or anything?
[Trail mix]

Do you have peaches?

No.

I was just really confused all of
the time. Like in Middle School, it was

especially difficult because I hit the
wrong puberty, and got a menstrual cycle,

and started growing little things up top.
[laughing] Nothing any boy wants to have

at thirteen years old. I wanted to be a
teenage boy, and I couldn't.

One night, I talked to my Dad, and he
was like, "You don't sound happy."

So, I told my Dad that I hate being a girl.
That night he did a little research into it,

and he told me, "You're Transgender."
I was like, "Oh. Yes. There's a word for me.

Yes, thank God.

L: Ari was excited about finding a word to
describe his truth, but there's some terms

that these young trans people don't
want to hear.

A: Some of the words that are offensive to me
are 'tranny', 'she-male', and just a flat

out 'man' really hurts.

Z: The word 'tranny' is very offensive to us.
It's kind of like calling a gay person

the 'F' word.

K: Girl, boy, he, she, transgendered. If your
saying I'm "transgendered", it's like

something happened for me to be trans.
It's like saying you've been blackened.

Like, "What happened to you to be black?"

S: Any sort of language that is not gendered
male is not correct for me, but the one

that gets to me the most is when
people refer to trans people as 'it.'

L: 12 year old Zoey has been experiencing
this kind of name calling from as early as

she can remember, but no amount of
harassment can stop her from living

proudly as the girl she
knows herself to be.

I'm from the Los Angeles area. I have one
brother, and I have one sister, and I have

a Mom. She's a single parent, and my Dad
has recently passed, but everything is

still good. I still cope with it very well.
So, this is my room. Beware of girliness.

I mean it just has so much girliness.
I love dancing. I love performing arts.

I love acting, and I love drawing.
This is Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

When I was two, I first stared feeling
like I had a burden. When I was

little, I always thought that boys and
girls had the same genitalia, and that

we all had the same body parts.
So, I just thought they are confusing me

for a boy. Then, I found out that they
actually have separate body parts, and

I felt very anxious because I was
wondering why do I have to live

as a boy, when I really feel that I am
a girl on the inside. I was just very

sad and depressed.

Zoey's Mom: You have to get ready for camp.
You have to start getting yourself

together. When she started walking and
talking, she would generally gravitate

to playing princess. She would wear my
shoes. So, I kind of understood that there

was something different.

Oh my god. I've got to pick out
something for the formal dance.

My friend Nikki, she wore this
really pretty, out there, Cinderella

dress, and I was like, "I'm going to
top you next year. "

When I was two, I remember that my
mom just got me out of the shower,

and she's drying me, and I remember
crying and saying, "I know in my heart

that I'm a girl." It was just really confusing
for her, and she didn't know what to do.

When I started Googling more information
about transgender people, most of the

information that I found was negative.
Horrible words were used.

Abomination - I was like that's not
my kid. She's gorgeous.

L: For Zoey, Ari and countless others,
deciding to transition to a different

gender can be powerfully liberating,
but having to explain your new identity

and appearance to everyone else can
be incredibly difficult.

Coming up on the T word.

Kye's Mother: I see you as the child
that I gave birth to, which is a female.

And later,

A: I've had so many opportunities to have
sex, and I haven't been able to ever

have it.

[♪ Music ♪]

Some trans people feel it is not necessary
to undergo medical transition, which

could include hormones and/or surgeries,
but other choose to make changes

on the outside that align with how
they feel on the inside.

S: I guess, first thing was I picked my
name - Shane - , and I started asking

me close friends to call me Shane.
I would be Shane out in public.

I felt so happy, and so confident,
and so fulfilled.

D: I didn't know if I was trans. I didn't
know who I was, but I knew that

when I walked outside in a skirt,
I felt happy.

Z: I transitioned in front of everybody's
eyes. I came in hot pink, and I walked

out the bus, and everybody was like,
"Whoa, that makes sense."

L: Transitioning can be both exciting
and challenging. One of the biggest

hurdles can be the time it takes
friends and family to accept the

change. So, imagine how hard it
must be to experience all of that

under a national spot light.

K: I am the first openly
division one Trans athlete.

There you go. My action shot for the day.

In 2011, while playing on the women's
basketball team at George Washington

University, Kye was featured in a piece
for the website "Out Sports", announcing

he was Trans Male. The story caught fire,
and made national headlines.

Why come forward now, rather than play
out your career, and then do everything.

I mean, that's what my plan was, and then
it got too tough. It got too tough to not

be me, and hear people call me
girl or say 'she' or just refer to me as

something that I knew I wasn't.

L: Kye's coaches and teammates were quick
to offer support, but he found himself

faced with a barrage of questions from
the media that made focusing on

basketball difficult.

K: I went from doing a post-game interview
about the game. "Oh, hey Kye. What did you

think about this?
You know, how is that pass?"

You know, things about sports. To, "Are you
attracted to your teammates. Are you

going to get the surgery. Do you have
a penis?" Like, what? How many sports

do people play with their genitalia?
How many jump shots has Lebron James

made with his penis? I don't know.
[laughing] I don't think any, right?

So, why are you asking me that as if
it has anything to do with my athletic

ability? It doesn't. I was extremely
overwhelmed. There was a lot.

Having everybody pay attention to me
just because I wanted to change

my name, and my pronouns. All I wanted
was for people to just focus on my

athletic ability. Maybe the fact that I
needed to work on my 3-pointers

a little bit more.

L: While transitioning in college was
complicated for Kye, coming out

as trans in elementary school presented
its own set of unique challenges for

Zoey and her family.

Z: I'm going to - I might be going to the ___.

After I transitioned, I had a lot of
problems with the school board.

They would always give
me a hard time.

The students bullied me as well, but
they didn't bully me as hard as

the administrators did. They said,
"Stay away from her. She's really bad kid.

She's like the anti-Christ. Yeah, it was
just really hard.

Next year for sure, I'm doing the
talent show.

Good. Finally.

Zoey's Mom: A lot of people gave me a really
hard time, and they asked me to stop.

They asked me not to encourage it. It wasn't
up to them. If you see that your child

is happy, and they're living a regular
life, why would you even want to change

it so it could fit into
someone else's style?

Z: I had other people come and tell me,
"Oh, you're a sin. You deserve to live in

hell, and you're going to burn someday."
And I was like, "Yeah, okay. See you there too."

Zoey's Mom: I remember sitting there in the
whole crowd, and being so afraid of how they

were looking at her, but she does great.
She's not afraid, and that's a good thing.

I fought a lot with everybody to let her
buy her barbies. Let her play with her toys.

Just leave my kid alone.

Zoey: If my Mom had not been supportive,
I wouldn't be here today.

I would be probably a suicide.

Zoey's Mom: You know, your just a little
kid still. The more you grow, the stronger

you're going to become.

L: Family support is crucial. A staggering
41% of transgender people have attempting

suicide in their lifetime. That's nine
times the national average.

But the rate is lower for those who maintain
a positive relationship with family after

coming out.

K: I can't hear you, Mom.

Kye's Mom: Hear me?

K: Yeah, I hear you. [laughing]

K: In terms of whose on board with me
being trans, my siblings are great.

They call me their brother. My Mom
is just - I'm her oldest. If you asked

she'd say that I'm her daughter.

Alright, Mom.

Kye's Mom: How was New York?

K: It's busy. It's fun. It's cool.
I was at a trans Health Conference

this past weekend. I talked to a trans kid,
and he was asking me about how to

talk to his parents about pronouns
because they won't switch.

Kye's Mom: What do you mean
they won't switch?

They won't say this is my son or 'he'.
They do what you do. You know, they'll

just play the pronoun game. [Mom: I don't
say that either.] You don't say anything.

That's not better. That's worse, I feel.

After I told my team, I told my Mom. Being
raised a Jehovah's Witness, it was difficult.

It was difficult for me. Difficult for my Mom
to kind of process that, and it tore us apart.

She just kept saying it was a phase.
Like it's a phase. It's not right.

The Bible says this. The Bible says that.

Kye's Mom: What I want you to understand is
this. I gave birth to you. I breastfed you for

a year, and it is very difficult to wake
up one day and go, "Okay. This is Kye."

And you know, it took me two years
to just call you Kye, and I still will not

call you a different gender because I
see you as the child that I gave birth

to, which is a female.

K: When my Mom will give
my siblings pronouns - so,

like my little brother - like this is her
son or my sister - this is her daughter.

And then, this is Kye. That is the most
hurtful to me because it makes me feel

like I'm not a human.

Kye's Mom: An orange is an orange. You can't
make it an apple. You were born in a female body.

K: Yes, I was born with a female body.
Yes. We know. But that's just a body.

Mom, Mom, but that's just a bo -
[Talking over each other.]

Mom: - you mutilating something.
Why would you want to do that?

Just answer that for me.

K: Because being in that old body
made me feel like I didn't want to

be alive anymore. It didn't feel
comfortable. I couldn't focus on

basketball. I couldn't focus on school.
I couldn't focus on doing anything

until now. Now, I finally see me.
I feel comfortable, and I can

actually focus on my life, but
before that, that wasn't me.

Mom: That's wonderful that you feel
comfortable, and I'm glad you feel in tune

with yourself. I would not love you any
different then what you decide,

but my reality is that you were born
to me as a female.

[ ♪ sad music ♪]

K: Would I love my Mom to, you know, say it
or to say "here he is", yes. At the end of the

day, my relationship with her supersedes
pronouns, but the fact that she is not

on board means that I can only handle
so much.

Um. Yeah. I got to go.

Mom: Okay. I love you, and be safe.

K: Alright. Love you too.
I will talk to you tomorrow.

[♪ sad music ♪]

L: Coming up on "The T Word."

A: I've never been comfortable enough
with myself to let a girl touch me.

S: My mother said that straight women will
want to date a man, and lesbians are

going to want to date a woman; so,
who is going to want to date you.

[♪ music ♪]

L: Building friendships and finding romance
is rarely easy when you're young, but

growing up trans can add another
layer of complication to all of these

rights of passage.

Z: If I was walking by a crowd in the school
that I was supposed to go to, they'd

be like "Oh, hey gay boy." So, I decided
that it's best for me to move schools

so that I can find friends.

D: As a trans woman, I've lost a lot of
friends. My life consists of Daniella,

home, but that's it.

A: I think that friends are everything,
having support of the people around you

is really important. Just one person
that you can confide in, and get

some sort of validation of being a
normal human being can mean everything

to somebody.

[♪ music ♪]

A: It's good, dude.

Friend: How are you, man?

For Ari, the social complications started
when he revealed that he was trans to

his classmates in 9th grade. I came out
before high school when I was about

14, as Ari. That was really the beginning
of my journey. I started really allowing

myself to feel like a boy in public.
My high school was not the greatest

place. My first year there, I got bullied
a lot. There was just a group of guys

that just really didn't like me. They went
to like the head of my high school and

said that they weren't comfortable with
me changing in the boys locker room,

and one of them mentioned that I watched
them pee, which is just ridiculous.

Nobody watches anybody pee.

You've never seen clueless.
Dude, it's like kind of a chick flick,

but it's so funny.

It was a really rough place to transition.
I ended up not really making it there.

I left.

Do you want to sit here?

Friend: Sure. [Okay]

A: I started the testosterone my
sophomore year of high school,

and that was one of the most
exciting points in my life because

I started a new high school,
new people, fresh start.

And my voice was low. [laughs] From that
point on, my transition became more of

life for Ari as like a young guy.

L: Even though Ari has had several girl
friends in recent years, he still struggles with

how to express his sexuality.

This is how I get changed by myself.

Dating and my sex life is a rough thing.
Especially because, at least for me,

sex is something that has always been
really scary to me. If I get with a girl,

what if she tries to put her hand in my
pants and then freaks out, because that's

happened to me before,
and it really sucks.

Friend: Who are you excited about
this year? Anyone specific?

I mean, everybody. Definitely like
super, ultra mega excited

for Rachel to come though.

Today's my eighteenth birthday, and I am
going to be having a bunch of my really

close friends over for a like
decent sized little party.

[♪ dance music ♪}

Aww. You found me. Yay.

Warning all of you, Mogi might hump
you. No, no. He will hump you.

Hey, get out of my house.

Rachel: Happy birthday, you.

A: Thank you so much.

I've had so many opportunities to have
sex, and I haven't been able to ever have it.

Welcome, welcome.

Even with a girl friend, I've never
been comfortable enough with myself

to let a girl touch me.

Friends: Wooh! Happy Birthday.
[Cheers and claps].

Thank you, guys.

A relationship relies on
everything but sex.

Now, I've gots to make a wish, and it can't
be the wish that I told certain people.

Being trans and dating can be really
tricky and a really emotional thing,

and you have to really find someone
who is safe and who is really, really

supportive and proves to you that
they're supportive.

[Cheers and claps.]

L: Dating and sex can definitely be harder
for some trans people to navigate.

Teacher: Let's go back and graph
some more of these equations.

L: But Shane from Baltimore, Maryland is
living proof that true love can

transcend gender boundaries.

S: When I came out as trans, relationships
were a very complicated thing for me

because I really - like my mother said -
who is going to love me?

She was worried as a mother that I wouldn't
be able to find a partner to share my

life with, because she said straight women
will want to date a man, and lesbians are

gonna want to date a woman. So, who's
going to want to date you?

So, I had this little Amish boy
haircut for a while.

[Laughing]

I hated having long hair, and like every
time that I did have long hair, I just

threw it up in a ponytail.

And I believed it, for a long time.
I didn't think that anyone would love me.

I played baseball for a while.

And I thought that it would always
have to be the baggage that I brought

along into whatever relationship that
I was bringing.

Hey, I'm trans. I hope that that is okay.

Jess: Kind of spices it up.

You're always spicing it up.

[Laughing]

I didn't think that anyone would
love me or be able to love me.

Jess: I cannot believe it's been a year. Like,
I mean, I can believe, but I can't

believe it's been a year.

Until Jess.

We met through a mutual friend, and then
one day, our friends had gone out, and we

were left alone. We started talking about
life. I never heard another human vocalize

the thoughts in my head so articulately,
and from that point on, I was like,

"She's going to be in my life somehow."

[ ♪ music ♪ ]

[Yelling]

S: Come on!

J: Don't pull me in. I don't trust you.
That's why I don't trust you.

[laughter]

J: I didn't know anything about trans
people or the trans community prior

to dating Shane. The first time we were
intimate, we were taking a shower

together, and he said, "I know you
haven't seen any other Trans people

naked, and I just didn't want to get
naked and throw you off." I was like

"Shane, you're not an alien. Your
going to have parts that I'm familiar

with, and that's fine."

You're treading water.

I know. I avoided pools for so long
that I forgot how to swim.

I can imagine.

No, it's a real thing.

I knew from literally the first time
I kissed her that I wanted to marry

her. Within the week of kissing,
we were officially dating, and within

six weeks, we had moved in together.
She is what I largely attribute to how

successful I am because she shows
me support and unconditional love

and makes me feel like I can do
anything. It's amazing.

[♪ joyful music ♪]

L: Coming up on "The T Word."

A: I wrote, "Hey, I have to tell you something
important"

L: Avery reveals the complexities of dating
as a Trans woman, and the danger she

faces just for being herself.

A: I don't like to disclose in person.
It's a very real possibility that we can

be harmed physically.

[♪ music ♪]

L: For most people, being perceived as the
gender we identify goes a long way

towards making our daily
lives less stressful.

S: I have what I call passing privilege,
which is that when I'm walking down

the street, people don't know that I am
trans. They're perceiving me as a

straight white man, but not
everybody has that privilege.

K: I decided to take testosterone because
every time I would walk anywhere,

I would try to order a sandwich, they
would ask, "How can I help you, sir?"

And I would answer, I'd say, "I want a
roast beef sandwich." And they would be

like, "Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am." I'd be
like "No, no, no, you had it right the

first time."

L: But sometimes the consequences of not
passing can be very serious.

A: My definition of getting clocked is
somebody realizing you're not a

cisform woman or a regular girl.
When I got clocked, I felt like I wasn't

representing what I wanted to show,
and it made me feel very insecure.

L: 20-year-old Avery has been identifying
as female for 5 years.

A: I grew up with a single mom and
four sisters. It was a lot of estrogen.

A lot of girls.

L: At what point in your life did you
realize that you were different?

A: Probably when I was like fifteen.
I have two older sisters, and they

always wanted me to be their
hot little brother that got girls

and was like a player and stuff,
but it really wasn't me.

Ever since that kind of stuff was
happening, I was like this doesn't

feel right.

L: Because more often than not, Avery's
perceived as the female she is, she

struggles with how and when to reveal
she is trans. She knows all too well that

doing so to the wrong person at the
wrong time can be dangerous.

A: So, I've been talking to this guy, and I
met him online, and he's really

funny. I haven't disclosed that I am trans
yet, and I'm a little nervous to see

what he says. There was a time when I
didn't disclose that I was trans, and

that didn't go so well.

L: The threat of violence is something
that is really real for you.

A: That's a real possibility for me because
you know, sometimes, especially with

girls like us, we like to test our realness
and we like to go out and be like,

"Oh, we're so unclockable and everything."
But it's a very real possibility that we can

be harmed physically.

You always see cases where these women
are murdered and killed, and that's

always in the back of my head, which
is why I am always cautious when

it comes to dating. I wrote, "Hey, I have
to tell you something important.

I need to let you know that I am
transgender.

I don't like to disclose in person.
I like to be a little cautious about that.

Texting is the best way.

L: For saftey.

A: Exactly.

Okay. So, he just asked, "So what
do you have down there?"

This is actually really typical on like
a lot of guys. I feel like it is really

kind of insensitive and very personal
to ask. I don't know. We just met.

I don't want to talk about that area
down there.

L: So many people will say that no matter
what surgery you have, you're always

the gender that you were assigned at
birth, even if you have bottom surgery,

but definitely if you don't have bottom
surgery. You are the gender you are

assigned at birth.
What would you say to them?

A: I feel like that is just ignorant. Women
come in all shapes and sizes, and I feel

like just to discredit us because we were
born with certain genitalia is kind of

ignorant and you know. I feel like it is
more fluid than that.

He wrote, "I'm sorry. I'm not into that."

I don't know why he took 2 hours but
yeah. It didn't work out; so...

L: Most of the time, Avery says she
experiences rejection when she discloses

that she's trans, but sometimes she meets
someone who is open to getting to know her,

just the way she is.

A: Hi. How are you?

Date: Nice to meet you.

A: Nice to meet you too.

How do you feel about the whole
topic of transgender people in general?

Date: Does it make you happier?

A: Yeah!

Date: That's what matters. That's really what
the important part is.

A: It's not for everyone, obviously, and it
can be a total game changer, which

I understand, which is why I
am glad you're okay with it.

The first date went pretty well.
He's really good at keeping conversation,

and he's funny and sweet. It makes me
feel validated, and it makes me feel

like I'm a normal person, which is the most
important thing. Like, I'm a normal girl.

L: While Avery navigates the politics of dating
while trans, L'lerret is struggling with

politics of a different kind.

L: My name is L'lerret. I'm 20 years old.
I go to a very

private, catholic HBCU, historically black
university. I try to just perfect my makeup,

because that's part of my fem. Makeup is
just my armor. I started hormones in

January, and it's been a wonderful process.
It's been very transformative. I've learned

so much about myself.

L: So, I'm looking for like a pore filler.
To make the skin smoother looking

before I put on the foundation.

Sales person: Primer?

L: When you're getting clocked, it's like
when you are just living your life,

trying to be yourself authentically,
and people can tell. So, people

who don't pass, they do experience
a lot more adversity because when

a lot of people experience trans
women, they don't know how to

react to us.

Across the country, studies show that
trans women of color face higher levels

of police profiling and harassment than
the general population, and L'Lerret

is one of the many trans women in
New Orleans who say they have been

unjustly targeted by the police.

L: This is Two Lane Avenue, and this is
probably one of the biggest hotspots

for the police to come to meet their
quota and criminalize trans women,

especially trans women of color.

There is this stereotype that all black
trans women are sex workers.

Nobody goes to Bourbon when the
sun is out. We go at night. So, I'm

leaving school to go to Bourbon, and
of course, I'm dressed cute because

I want to look cute when I'm down in
Bourbon. Just the fear of being

stopped by the police is a problem.

They can see it as me trying to flaunt
my body, and they will crack down

on me as a way to "prevent me from
being harmed", is what they say.

But when they crack down on us
consistently, it becomes this whole

understanding that all trans women are
sex workers, and they must dehumanize us

because that's who we are. The
intersections of being transgender,

being black and being a woman,
all together, walking out late at night

is not a thing that we do anymore.
People think that when you're out here,

you're just open bait. They'll honk
their horns or stop.

We in New Orleans are really working
to change this environment and change

the system so that trans women don't
feel afraid of going out at certain

times at night.

[♪ music ♪]

[People chanting in unison] One, two,
three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

One, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight.

Five or six months ago, I joined an
organization called Break Out.

Youth Break Out in New Orleans, and it's
centered around the decriminalization

of LGBT youth of color in New Orleans.

Having Break Out as an outlet for all
the youth to come together and start

owning their power and using their
truths to really affect some change

in the community. I feel like that is
really important. That's where

Break Out is going to mobilize the youth.

At the end of the day, I am not going
to be scared of being who I am, but

I do understand that being that person
is dangerous.

Coming up on "The T Word."

D: Last year in the middle of spring, on
this very same corner, I was pulled

off the street, and I was
raped by a guy.

I always connect to these stories because
I've been catcalled and then someone

realizes that I am trans,
and I fear for my life.

[♪ music ♪]

The trans community is enjoying more
awareness and social equality than ever

before, but anti-trans bias is still
pervasive, and violence against

trans people remains
disproportionately high.

Z: Of course I've been bullied.
I've got people threatening me.

I've never been physically harmed,
but I have been threatened.

K: I was just walking, and one day he
comes right in my face, and just like,

"Oh, so you think you a man? You think
you a girl? Oh, come on son, I'm

going to show you what it's like to be
a man. Blah blah blah. And I'm just like ...

I'm just looking at him, and I'm like,
"Is this really happening right now?"

S: I went to the 7 Eleven up the road.
These two guys came in, and they

said, "Are you a boy or a girl?"
So, I didn't say anything. I didn't want

to get into it with them, and then they
started to get more aggressive about it,

and they were like, "What is it?"
And I became an "it." I was no

longer a person.

L: And since LGBT youth are much
more likely than the general population

to experience homelessness, they're even
more susceptible to becoming victims of

crime.

D: I'm fine. How are you?

L: 20 year old Daniella from New York
knows first hand the dangers of being a

trans woman living on the streets.

D: I was raised in foster care from
18 months old until escaping around

16 officially. Growing up in foster care
was really rough, and by the age of

16, I just wanted to be free. I was
sleeping on the trains, sleeping in the

parks, the village. That was my reality
for quite some time.

[♪ music ♪]

D: Last year in the middle of spring in this
very corner, I was pulled off the streets

and I was raped by a guy.
He like has a knife, and he's like,

"Say another word and these will be
your last words."

It's that moment when you just like
you don't realize that this is

happening to you. You know, you're
like, "Damn - do I scream? Do I shout?"

So now here we are, we're like in this car,
and I remember my hand was shaking

unbearably, and I remember him telling
me, "Stop shaking! Stop shaking!"

I was just like begging him,
"Please just take all my money.

Take everything I own, and just
let me go." But my property was

not enough. The only property he wanted
to own was my body.

You feel so helpless that all you can
think about is, "Will I make it out of

this alive?" Every single day when I walk
outside at night, it's that moment

for me, you know? Will I be a
survivor or will I be a victim?

[Sirens]

L: So, what happened next?

D: Then we get to the hospital.
I remember everyone saying to me,

"Don't worry. Things are going to be fine.
We're going to give you a rape kit,

and I'm sorry to have to put you
through this, but you know, we have to

stick it in your female area." And I was
just like, "Yeah, but I don't think that's

possible." And then they said,
"So how did he rape you?"

And I said, "Well, he put it in the anal
and stuff like that." And she says,

"Oh, and he raped you like that?"

I could feel the shift now.
"Are you sure it was not sex work?"

L: The second she found out that you
were trans, she basically accused

you of being a sex worker.

D: Yeah. And she was like, "Are you sure
he wasn't like prostituting? And he took

advantage, and he didn't give you what
you wanted, and now you're saying

that it is rape to get back at him?"

I will never forget it because here I am
like, you're not going to get treated

with respect.

[Thunder and wind]

L: Daniella was lucky to escape with her
life, but sadly, stories like hers are all

too common.

D: I'm taking in this moment where
I'm like, "Wow, look at the things

you've encountered, but look at all
the things you did to move past that.

And it is making me emotional because
I'm thinking about everybody else that's

coming and knowing that this is what
they have to live. [Crying] Hold on -

[♪ music ♪]

We are going to the site where Islan
Nettles was murdered almost a year ago.

This girl was 21 years old. She had been
homeless, and she was beaten into a coma

on Frederick Douglas Avenue in front of
a police precinct. The police pulled a

young man off of her, arrested him for
assault. Once she died, they dropped the

assault charges because they allegedly
want to bring homicide charges against

this person, but they haven't done it yet
because they don't have enough evidence.

It's a year later. I always connect to these
stories because I've been Islan Nettles

walking down the street and catcalled, and
then someone realizes that I am trans,

and I fear for my life.

[♪ music ♪]

L: So, this is the place where it happened.
This is for Islan, so that we never forget

young women like her, who are fighting
for their lives or who may have lost

their lives, we remember you,
and we love you, Islan.

[♪ music ♪]

L: I'm just having all these flashbacks to
CeCe McDonald's story, and CeCe McDonald

is a young trans woman who, like Islan, was
walking down the street and was

violently attacked. CeCe survived. Her
gifts for survival was a prison sentence

because in defending herself, one of her
attackers was killed. If you look at

Jewlyes Gutierrez's story in
Northern California.

She was attacked at her
school by a group

of young girls. Or Chrissy Polis in Baltimore.
That video that went viral when she

was attacked at McDonalds by a group
of young girls.

[♪ music ♪]

We just came off of five trans women
murdered in 41 days. There is a feeling of

helplessness and powerlessness.
It feels like it is sanctioned by the state

and by our society to just pick us off.
It's infuriating and maddening that it

feels like these murders are treated as
if they are okay, as if we deserve to be

victims of violence simply for being who
we are.

[♪ music ♪]

L: Don't go away. The T Word
continues right now.

[♪ music ♪]

L: We've seen how trans people face
widespread discrimination when

they start living their truth, but despite
that this remarkable group of young people

is rising above the stigma and creating
a brighter future for themselves.

Z: So, this is an award that I received
from CSW because they saw that I had

some leadership in me.

L: Zoey just turned 13, and she has
already become a powerful voice for

trans youth. She and her mom joined
the fight to pass a new law in

California that now provides greater
protection for trans students.

Z: The law allows students in California
to use their preferred bathrooms,

and now I can use the girls' locker room
without any hassle. So, I'm just really

excited.

[♪ music ♪]

L: Kye retired from competitiive basketball
three years ago, but his unique experiences

in college sports led to a new passion.

I went from being an athlete to
being an advocate like that.

Traveling and
speaking to schools about my story,

trying to create safer spaces for
other trans athletes. I've had kids

come up to me and say, "Wow. I've
never met a trans person. Thank you

for just coming to my school, and just
being here and sharing your story."

And they told me it made a difference.
That's all I'm trying to do.

[♪ music ♪]

L: Daniella is committed to using her
experience to help other trans youth.

She has recently started an online
business and finally has a home to

call her own.

D: I really do feel blessed. This is my safe
space. I think I beat the odds as a youth.

That's what my apartment shows me.

[♪ music ♪]

L: Ari survived high school and is now on his
way to college to pursue his dreams of

becoming a professional recording artist.

A: Being done with high school means that
I've overcome a lot. I feel really proud of

myself. I can't wait to get this next chapter
started in my life. To be more independent

and learn to really take care of myself.
So, I'm really looking forward to that,

and I'm looking forward.
Period. Can't wait.

[crowd clapping and cheering]

A: Thank you guys so much.

[♪ music ♪]

S: Being here today is amazing.
There are so many beautiful humans here,

and I'm excited to be a part of it.

L: Both L'Lerret and Shane are graduating
from college this year.

[♪ music ♪]

Avery not only has a new job working
with a fashion designer, she has a new

man in her life as well.

[Clapping and cheering]

[♪ music ♪]

A: The most important message I want for
people who are not in the trans community

is just we're normal people. We have
feelings. We do normal things.

We are just trying to live our lives
like you are. We're going through the

same struggles as you. You should
probably get to know us.

[♪ music ♪]