Jenna Sisolak grew up trying to avoid conflict at all costs. The more that she moved away from those tendencies, the more that she began to express her authentic self. A part of this process was reactive: Jenna went from being a “star” student to a rebellious kid after her parents did not respond well to her coming out that she was gay. This process took lots of time, and included some very low points in her life, but it has also led her to being able to come out as trans.

Kimberly Legregor enlisted in the Air Force after being drafted during her first year of college. She got a job in radio while in the Air Force, and stayed in that career after she left the military, retiring as an electrician and general foreman at Anheuser Busch. Kimberly describes her earliest memories of identifying as transgender and her journey as a transgender woman today. She helps at the PRIDE Center of New Jersey. 

Sydney Schakelford moved around a lot as a child, and lived in a strict household, which often led her to seek her father’s approval. In 2010 she began to identify as genderfluid, and ultimately came out as trans in 2013. In this interview, her and her wife, who supported her through her transition, discuss working together to create a loving marriage, the concept of deprogramming from past experiences and expectations, and finding support within the Transgender community.