"So... Tell me... Ping. What has been the biggest obstacle to overcome on this...journey of yours?"
Ping blinked a few times, thinking the question over. A million different thoughts raced through his mind at once: thoughts of his family, his coaches, his peers, his career, Shang... No, Shang had never been an obstacle. He was nothing but supportive once he got over his initial shock. Ping glanced toward where Shang stood behind the camera crew in this film studio, where he was being interviewed on live television. Shang was smiling and giving him a thumbs-up. Ping briefly smiled back, thankful for the gesture. Ping needed all the help he could get right now, all the positive vibes he could soak up. At this point in his life, Ping needed, more than anything, to know he was loved and supported.
Shang loved me when I was Mulan, when I was pretending for all those years... Ping thought. And he still loves me for who I really am.
As a woman, Mulan was one of the top female athletes in the world, practically undefeated in all her Olympic events. She'd spent her whole life training, pushing herself to her physical limit, obeying every word from her coaches and trying to prove herself to her family in China. But throughout her life, Mulan felt different somehow. She didn't understand herself, so she didn't let anyone else try to, either. She began, at an early age, to bury her issues over identity and sexuality, and traveled for many years down a road of solitude and self-loathing. At some point, she started training with Shang. It started out casual, but over time, the connection between the two was undeniable. They fell fast for each other, and began dating. They were both adults, with comfortable lives, who were secure in their careers. Everything was good.
But after about a year of being together, the truth came out. Shang admitted painfully that he was a pansexual. Mulan had issues with it for awhile, battling her own troubles with sexual identity, slightly jealous that Shang knew who he was and she didn't, worried that Shang might leave her for someone more confident and less depressed. Shang felt ashamed, and unsure that Mulan would stay with him. He had no idea about her own internal struggles, and thought she was simply pushing him away because she found him revolting.
Meanwhile, even though she wasn't ready to admit it to herself, Mulan began a daily mantra in the mirror, knowing that the only way to help herself and save her relationship was to address the problem head-on. She faced her reflection with her athletic determination, feeling more physically tried than ever before as she slowly muttered to her reflection, "Hi, I'm Mulan...and I think I'm a boy..." This continued for a few months, every day picking up volume and pride as Mulan slowly gained confidence and happiness, finally recognizing her...his true identity. Finally, one day, the mantra became, "Hi, I'm Ping, and I am a boy."
Ping finally accepted himself. And it was time for the world to as well.
The first person Ping came out to was Shang. He was surprised, to say the least, but he was quickly overcome with relief.
"Is that why you've been so unhappy for the last year?" He had asked, chuckling half-heartedly.
Ping had nervously nodded in response.
"Well...everything's okay now, right?"
"I think so..." Ping played anxiously with his hair. He'd expected more of a response than this.
"Okay, well..." Shang sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Does this mean we're...over?"
Ping frowned. "What makes you say that?"
Shang looked up at him, surprised. "Well, since you're a guy, don't you want to experiment a little? See some girls, maybe?"
Ping quickly shook his head. "No. Shang, I love you. And I want to be with you."
Shang's eyebrows popped up. "Really?"
"Of course. I mean... If you'll stay with me..."
Shang silenced Ping's worries with a kiss.
Next came Ping's family. They weren't exactly thrilled, but they slowly accepted Ping, realizing he was still the child that had given them so many reasons to be proud. Ping's coaches, however, disowned him. He was dishonorably dropped from the Chinese Olympic teams, and lived in constant scrutiny from the public. American newspapers got ahold of the story, and Ping was offered a spot in the American Olympic league. With Shang as his official coach, Ping moved with Shang and both of their families to America very quickly. They'd lived in relative peace and normality ever since, though American media still couldn't get enough of Ping's story as he began undergoing hormone treatments to make himself more masculine and cut his hair short and spiky. Some people thought he was just trying to look more "manly", but this was just how he was comfortable looking. It helped him to fully accept himself when he started to look the way he wanted to, how he'd always pictured himself. And, he didn't need to look "manly", because he'd always felt manly. Despite pressures from colleagues and fans and, well...everyone, Ping knew his feelings couldn't be wrong.
He'd come to terms with who he really was, and he was the happiest he'd ever been.
"I think..." Ping slowly began to answer the interviewer. "I think the hardest part of my transition wasn't so much being accepted by others, but being accepted by me. You know, once I saw through all the societal pressures and battled through the worries of what my family would think, what anyone would think... It just became a lot easier once I realized that the only person really holding me back was me. And it became a daily struggle within myself to get comfortable with this undeniable part of me, just talking it through with myself in the mirror, and finally..." Ping grinned. "My reflection showed who I really was inside."
"And I suppose you'll be a very prominent advocate for the Trans youth still facing this struggle in America?" The interviewer questioned.
Ping nodded firmly. "Yes. I understand that the Trans community is still very misunderstood and discriminated against. And I plan to help. For now, if there is a message I can give any young Trans people watching, it's that you're not alone. What you're going through is not abnormal. And you're probably really confused, and fighting yourself daily over the truth. But you must understand that eventually, all that confusion will melt away. You just have to admit to who you really are. You have to accept yourself before you can expect anyone else to."