2025 has been a difficult year to digest for many - myself included. 

You see, I have this wild notion that a person's gender, race, sexual orientation, and lifestyle preferences are of no one's concerns but their own. Yet I began witnessing an increase in the LGBTQ+ community, more specifically our trans friends, being vilified. I stewed in anger while my mind was screaming. I wanted to help but...HOW?! While I support the community, I honestly don't know much about it. Which led me to an idea. Why not begin a series showcasing trans individuals, by having them speak their stories and capture them through my lens? My voice may not have much of an impact, but the voice of those living their truths and wishing to simply be accepted? Powerful stuff.

Which leads me to my very first subject. The beautiful Miss Bree. There was a sense of nervousness between us when she arrived. Thankfully, that quickly dissipated into the ether and a friendship quickly formed.

Bree's transition story began in December 2021. It's what she calls The Big Bang. Once she realized she didn't identify with the male gender she was born into, there was no turning back.

The transition wasn't easy. Family members lost. Friendships severed. Her marriage broken. A career she excelled at no longer fitting her identity. Yet with all the loss around her, Bree knew she was seeking the right path. Bree was slowly becoming her truth.

Talk about courage! Through it all, Bree's mother has been her biggest supporter and confidant, as well as her two children Amelia and Joe. Bree mentioned multiple times in our conversation that she doesn't know where she would be today without their beacons of love.

Bree's social transition came first. Then came the long journey of her medical transition. Hormone replacement therapy, voice therapy, and gender affirming surgeries. Not to mention the dozens of little things like learning her style, how to apply makeup, coming to terms with a rapidly changing body. All those transitions came fraught with their own challenges but as she went through each stage, she slowly gained a true sense of self. The mental transition is what she anticipates will take the longest. 

These days, Bree is in cosmetology school and is seen as a mother hen and mentor to the younger stylists. She likes that roll, as her previous career had her in a leadership position so it comes naturally.

The biggest takeaway from my conversation with Bree, was that it proved that all you have to do is show acceptance. Whether you understand or not, agree or not, simply allowing others to live their truth and accept them for who they are, is powerful.

I am a better person for having met Bree, and am excited to watch her continue to flourish into the beautiful woman she was always meant to be.