Airyn De Niro, a 29-year-old trans woman, recently shared her experience in an interview with Them magazine following her unsolicited exposure in a paparazzi photo. Despite her family's acceptance, she struggled with feelings of inadequacy due to her body image and lack of belonging in her high school years. Airyn began her transition through hormone therapy and finds inspiration in Black female figures like Laverne Cox. Through her journey, she grapples with anxiety about her family's perception of her identity and aims to embrace her Blackness alongside her transition.
"There's a difference between being visible and being seen. I've been visible. I don't think I've been seen yet."
"I was always told I was too much of something or not enough of something growing up: Too big, not skinny enough. Not Black enough, not white enough. Too feminine, not masculine enough."
"I think stepping into this new identity, while also being more proud of my Blackness, makes me feel closer to them in some way."
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