Hi I'm Yannick and guess what? I'm transgender. That's right. I am a transgender woman. One thing about my transition is that, although I live as a woman, I have yet to have surgeries and I have yet to start hormone replacement therapy, also known as HRT.

Now this is where my transition, along with the famous transitions of Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, and countless other famous trans women in the world, faces scrutiny. I have had people tell me that I am not really transgender because I haven't began hormone replacement therapy, nor have I had any bottom surgeries or breast augmentation done.

Well I have a message for those that say that I am not trans enough. Being transgender is not just a way of life or the clothes I wear. It sure isn't my body parts or genitalia. Transgender is the fact I was born in the wrong body. Yes, I said it. I was born male, but I feel on the inside and in my mind that I should've been born a women. This is called gender dysphoria, which causes or initiates the transition process in transgender men and transgender women.

Being transgender is how one identifies and how they portray and live as that identity. For instance, I identify as a woman. I live as a woman and I use she/her pronouns. I dress as a woman and I conduct myself as a woman. Being hormones or not does not negate my trans identity.

Did you know that a person is transgender before the hormones and surgery? It all begins in the heart, mind, and soul. Before a person can start HRT or have surgeries done to reflect the gender that they identify as, they come to terms, seek therapy or counseling, in vocalizing those feelings, thoughts, and attitudes. This costs money that some transgender may or may not have.

For me personally, transitioning has been costly between therapists, endocrinologists, and other necessary appointments. Many transgender people cannot afford nor have the resources to transition as they desire. This is why a lot of them go on the black market and risk their lives and some their freedom, by getting illegal botox injections, illegal implants, and illegal genital surgeries.

Due to the cost of hormones, surgeries and other cosmetic surgeries a lot of transgender people opt not to get hormone replacement therapy and various surgeries because they know their identity and know that they are transgender. Hormones and surgeries do not make a person transgender.