Becoming one’s full self is something every human being aspires to achieve at some point in their life.

For Trevor Barrett, 22, becoming his full self was a challenging yet rewarding experience.

Barrett first knew he was transgender when he was 5 years old when his mother asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. He responded with “I want to be a man.”

When Barrett was 16, he came out to his friends as a transgender male. Four years after that, he came out to his family.

“Two of my siblings don’t fully support me,” Barrett said. “But other than that, everyone else has been amazing.” 

Barrett mentioned that the scariest part of his transition was coming out to his mother. He casually came out to her five months after he started testosterone by showing her the bottle of it. His mother was, and still is, very supportive of him. 

Aside from the fear of coming out to his family, Barrett said one of the worst parts of transitioning was having to go through physical and mental changes. 

“Mainly just trying to conform my body to what I wanted it to be was the worst part,” Barrett stated. 

Before Barrett got top surgery, he wore a binder for his chest. Barrett expressed how he loved the look of binding, but its physical effects, such as rib or lung pain, were hard to deal with most of the time. 

Once he started testosterone, Barrett experienced a decrease in his mental health. 

“I had depression, BPD, and anxiety to start off with,” he said. “Once I started testosterone, my ADHD and OCD came to light.”

Barrett mentioned that going through his legal name change has been a lengthy and difficult process. He is still waiting on his new social security card after a month and a half. 

Because Barrett’s name isn’t completely legally changed, he still experiences people using his dead name sometimes.

Barrett believes that several things need to change when it comes to transitioning in today’s society. He wants better healthcare for transgender people, more help for transgender youth, and more on board and experienced doctors. 

“Transitioning in today’s society is so much easier than it was in the past,” Barrett commented. “However, we still have a long way to go.”