Tori Vega stood in front of the entire student body of Hollywood Arts High School on March 31, 2013, also known as International Transgender Day of Visibility. She was about to do something she had never done before. In an effort to educate her peers on a matter that was very close to her heart, she would stand before them and tell her story. And as the nervousness washed over her, she only hoped it would all be worth it. Here goes nothing, she thought as she took a deep breath and raised the microphone to her lips.
"Hello, most of you already know me, but for those who don't, my name is Tori Vega. It wasn't always, though. I was born Anthony Vega, 'Tony' for short…"
*Flashback*
Little Anthony Vega came into the world on February 19, 1993, filling his parents' hearts with a new sense of pride. They were so excited, especially his father, to have a son. His father looked forward to that special father/son relationship he dreamed that they would have while his mother looked forward to having the mama's boy she'd always wanted. Within his first few years of life, however, it became clear to them that their little Tony was not like the other boys his age.
Instead of action figures and matchbox cars he wished for Barbie Dolls and Polly Pockets. Instead of going outside and getting dirty, he preferred to stay inside and sample his mother's makeup. He would watch her trace the pencil along the edge of her lower eyelid and run the bristles of a brush against her eyelashes, leaving them dark and full. Then, when no one was looking, five-year-old Tony would try it out for himself. He would run around the house proudly, black smudges surrounding his eyes until his father returned from work and took him into the bathroom to wash it all off, telling him that makeup was for girls, to which little Tony always responded, "But daddy, I am a girl."
For his sixth birthday, Tony asked for a dress. For his seventh, he wished to get his ears pierced. When he was eight, he wanted to paint his room pink. Every time he made such a request, however, he was given a stern look by father and told, "No". He was told that those things were for girls and therefore he shouldn't have them. Tony never understood what the problem was.
But daddy, I am a girl.
When he was nine, Tony's father decided to take him to a football game. Tony didn't watch much of the game, though. No, he enjoyed watching the cheerleaders more. At halftime, when the cheerleading squad was performing their halftime show, he turned to his father and told him that he wanted to be a cheerleader someday. Once again, young Tony was told that he couldn't, that it was for girls.
But daddy, I am a girl.
Tony's persistent statements that he was, in fact, a girl led his parents to sit down one evening after he had gone to bed and talk about their son. They talked about his past and they talked about his future. They came to the conclusion that if their son was going to be happy, they would have to make some changes. They researched and researched until they knew exactly what they had to do. They had to say goodbye to their little boy.
When he was ten years old, Tony became known as Tori. Tori was referred to as 'she' instead of 'he'. She wore dresses and makeup. She let her hair grow long. She got her ears pierced, painted her room pink, and played with Barbie Dolls and Polly Pockets. She switched schools and was known as Tori, a girl, to her new classmates. She was happier than she had ever been before and her parents knew that they had done the right thing for their daughter.
*End Flashback*
"And that," said Tori Vega, "Is why this day means so much to me. That is how I became Tori Vega." The audience, though previously silent, burst out into heartfelt applause as Tori stepped off the stage and joined her friends in the crowd.