1
And that’s only the latest layer of anti-transness I’ve been subjected to throughout my life, particularly given that I grew up as a hyper-feminine child with a penchant for Disney princess films and pop divas like my idol, Christina Aguilera. Both my Puerto Rican household and the broader neighborhood I grew up in — a low-income, primarily Black and brown corner of East Harlem in New York City — prioritized machismo over all else. I never felt the safety or permission to embrace my most authentic self, not in my neighborhood, neither in school, and certainly not in my own home. I cried, prayed, begged, and pleaded for acceptance, but, instead, I was met with denial and physical abuse.
