Chaz Bono

I absolutely believe in assimilation. I don't believe I'm any different from straight people. My wants and needs are the same as theirs. I don't look at sexual orientation as that big of a deal. It's just an orientation. ”

Being self-supporting is important to me. ”

I thought, transgender people are much worse off than I am. That's why they're willing to risk everything to be who they are. But the older I got, the harder it got to stay in my body. ”

In school I related to boys. ”

When you transition, everyone kind of has to transition around you. ”

I don't have the luxury of doing things privately. ”

Deep down, my mom had long suspected I was gay... Much of her anger and hurt came from her sense of betrayal that she was the last to be told. ”

I've waited my whole life to be able to have body hair - but I never thought I'd have back hair. But what are you going to do, right? ”

Until I really accepted this about myself and got over any of my own transphobia that I had, I really felt like I wouldn't be accepted. I thought I would ruin my life. ”

When I realised I was transgender I was so afraid of what my transition would do to everyone else in my life and how they would react to it and would I be rejected? ”