Victoria: I tell you: my life wasn’t that pretty. It was abuse, torture. I been bullied a lot. But for me, I didn’t take it personally. Thank God I’m Deaf — whatever they’re saying, I just go, ‘Huh? Sorry, what was that? Oh okay, I’m going, bye!’, you know? But for me back then, I didn’t realize that people can take in the damage they feel (or their minds). But now, when I get older, I can feel the words, the hate. That can destroy you. And the more you just want to give up. But at the same time, it’s up to you — you want to live on or waste it? At that time I had a rough life. My mum put me in the army when I came out as a gay boy and she couldn’t accept it because she was embarrassed. Funny thing, it only lasted for a day because they found out about my disability. But I had fun, seeing all these half naked boys — ‘Oh, hello! Thanks Mum’ [inaudible]. But for me, back then, I had a bad relationship with my family. My mum and I couldn’t get along. She kept telling me [that] I’m not her child — that hurt me the most. I had a talk with my mum. I said, ‘Mum, what do you want? Imagine for the next thirty years, we’re going to still keep fighting, why? For my happiness, because I’m different? Or is this about you? Which one?’ I said, ‘Think about from the beginning, if I was a real straight man, what my life would be. Maybe [I’d get] a few girls pregnant, maybe I’m violent, maybe I’m in jail. I don’t know. But I didn’t choose to be — this is me, this comes from my heart. I thank you, you give me life, and you support me no matter what. If you don’t want me to be a part of the family that’s fine. I will disappear, do my own thing.’ It took her a couple weeks to realize. I said to Mum, ‘If you want to have your happiness, why don’t you get married again?’ After we lost my father in the car crash, raising three kids on her own was a challenge. I said, ‘You want to be Jennifer Lopez? Go for it. Be sexy, be glamorous. Spend your money to make yourself look good, why not? You earned it. You want to have a toy boy? I support you. This is your life, this is your happiness, this is your story. This is my life, I have to find my own.’ And now, she’s finally realized — baby steps, she’s seen me grow up and realised she did good. I took her to her first Mardi Gras in 2006 and the parade with my little brothers. They finally realized ‘Wow, they’re all nice people. They’re having their own fun world.’ And from then on, I grew older and older. I had a relationship at a young age, yes. When I broke up with my ex, I didn’t know about sex workers, like working girls. Funny thing, I was a gay boy at the time [and] I’d show up to drag shows and one of the drag friends of mine introduced me to one of these girls. I thought they were girls. Beautiful. One of them said, ‘Can I meet up with you at a café?’ I said, ‘Sure I would love to!’ She asked me a question: ‘When are you going to have your hormones and surgery?’ I said, ‘Wait a minute, I’m confused. What are you talking about?’ She said, ‘Where you from?’ I said, ‘I’m from the country, nobody taught me that. What’s this? What’s this? Can you explain to me?’ And that’s how they educated me [about] the hormones, and being trans.