There's a gender in your brain and a gender in your body. For 99 percent of people, those things are in alignment. For transgender people, they're mismatched. That's all it is. It's not complicated, it's not a neurosis. It's a mix-up. It's a birth defect, like a cleft palate.

I came out around 25 publicly.

As you get older it's more confusing. Suddenly, there's more pressure to fit in to your assigned gender.

Gender is between your ears and not between your legs.

I've been embraced by a new community. That's what happens when you're finally honest about who you are; you find others like you.

What mom cares about most is that I'm happy, healthy and enjoying my life.

I absolutely believe in assimilation. I don't believe I'm any different from straight people. My wants and needs are the same as theirs. I don't look at sexual orientation as that big of a deal. It's just an orientation.