I'm regenerating!

My friends, the time has come for me to say, "Hello." But no lengthy introductions here, no cute anecdotes. Let's get into it.

I'm transgender. I am a trans woman. I am a woman.

My new name is Kara (Car-uh) and my pronouns are she/her. Yes, this includes when talking about or sharing things I've posted in the past, even though my old name is still on there. Check out my name policy for more clarification.

I personally love the metaphor of regeneration for my transition, because it captures the intensity. It reinforces the adage of “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Like the Doctor in Doctor Who, my appearance will change—and I’m excited for this (tights! dresses! OMG). Some of my mannerisms, idiosyncrasies, and behaviour will change; again, I’m excited to explore how I want to express myself and my femininity.

At the end of the day, however, each regeneration of the Doctor retains her essential personality traits: her commitment to social justice and equity, to science and curiosity. Likewise, I’m still the same person at my core, because I am not changing who I am. I am just finally recognizing and allowing myself to express myself most authentically. I will still be reviewing books, writing blog posts, recording podcast episodes with my friend Becky… None of that changes. But I’ll be doing it as my most authentic, most comfortable self, and I hope that in the weeks, months, and years to come, that euphoria and sense of security I derive from my transition will be evident in everything I do.

Huge shout-out and heaps of gratitude to my friends and family. It's not just that they've been supportive—I expected that, because I am good at picking my friends. No, I was not expecting the level of enthusiasm I was met with as I came out to each and every one of you. Oh. My. Goodness. Most of the tears I’ve shed in the past month or so as I’ve navigated this process have been tears of joy over how accepted and embraced I feel. So many of my friends have enthusiastically started offering me makeup tips, clothing and shopping tips, and just general gestures of allyship and inclusion, and … y’all are the best. Seriously.

I’m also happy that I have a supportive work environment. My manager has been with me every step of the way of this journey. The staff at my school board have worked with me to make sure I am comfortable and on board with every aspect of my professional transition, and they have been so helpful. I came out to my colleagues today, and I’m excited that on Monday I go to work as Kara at the start of a new session of classes.

I know that so many trans people do not have the privilege of support or safety. To all of you, and to everyone out there reading this who isn’t ready to come out or is questioning their gender but not certain about or even interested in labels: I see you. This world has a long way to go before it is as kind and inclusive as it should be.

That’s everything for now. Don’t worry, there will be many more posts in the future with more of my specific thoughts and feelings about transition. Until then, I’ll leave you with this: I have never felt as elated, as joyful, as empowered as I do today.