We Talked to a Trans Teen Surviving the Shit Show That Is North Carolina

Vinnie is a 15-year-old transgender boy living in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the heart of the fight for trans bathroom rights. And since the state decided last year that students must use the bathroom with the same assignment as their biological sex, he’s left with no restroom he feels comfortable using at school.

Vinnie struggled for years with self-harm, and, at his darkest moment, suicide. The weekend after a suicide attempt, and a subsequent seven-day stint in the hospital, Vinnie stopped wearing his makeup, and cut his hair off. He finally didn’t feel “wrong” and “didn’t hate [him]self.”

With a newfound commitment to staying true to himself, Vinnie is confident and sagely positive. Here’s a little more about how he got to a place of trans positivity, and what he plans to name his dream dogs.

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