A transgender woman has detailed her journey from Markus to Maya in an emotional and poignant video that charts her transition timeline over the first 20 years of her life.

In the video, Maya, 20, explains that she was born as a male but that she knew from an early age that she did not feel comfortable in that gender; however it was not until the age of 18 that she felt able to woman after making the decision to transition when she was 18.

The student, who lives in Toronto, Canada, and is about one year into Hormone Replacement Therapy, has created a moving video about her journey, Male to Female - Transgender Transition Timeline, that has been watched nearly 2.4 million times.

Transformation: Transgender YouTuber Maya, 20, pictured right recently after five months of Hormone Replacement Therapy, has shared her journey from Markus, left aged 15, in an emotional video

Brave: Maya, from Toronto, Canada, pictured in a recent snap shared in a YouTube clip, has detailed her 'transition timeline' in a video, which charts all 20 years of her life

Life stages: The video includes a number of key moments in her life, including her graduation (pictured)

Maya, who talks in her videos about fashion, being transgender and lifestyle, has developed a big following and her YouTube channel has more than 93,000 subscribers.

Her transition timeline video follows her journey to becoming a woman since birth using photos and video footage from her childhood and teen years going up to the recently, aged 20.

Writing about the video, she said it took a long time to create the video, adding: 'I hope you enjoy the journey, and remember that everyone's path in life is different and beautiful in its own way!'

The timeline shows pictures of her when she was Markus as a small baby, aged four and her 'first selfie' aged six.

Maya, who also goes by the name Transmermaid online, said she experimented with clothing from a young age, writing: 'I would more often than not wear "girls" clothing as a child'.

The video features images from when she was eight and nine and then follows her into her teen years with a picture from when she was 13 with a shorter spikier hairstyle and aged 14 holding a puppy.

Confidence: The student, pictured when she was 19, finally made the decision to transition from male to female after attending a trans pride march when she was 18

Restricted: At school, Maya, pictured aged 16 when she was still known as Markus, dreamed of wearing a prom dress but she was 'too afraid'

Secret: Maya, pictured aged 18 wearing extensions while alone in her own home, before she made her decision to transition public, now has a big following as a YouTuber

Childhood: The video about Maya, pictured aged four as a boy, has been watched nearly 2.4 million times

The pictures show how she experimented with fashion, hair dye and hairstyles all the way through teenage-hood and when she was 15 she is seen with several different hair colors.

When she was 16 she writes that she became 'very involved with theater acting and musicals', adding: 'I often had to cut my hair short for the male roles I portrayed.'

At 17, there was a Greecian-style white one-shoulder dress with an intricate gold waistband that she desperately wanted to wear to her school prom but she said she was not yet 'ready'.

'This is the dress I dreamed of wearing to prom! But I wasn't ready yet; I was too afraid,' she writes.

Looking forward to graduation so she could assume a new identity at university, she is pictured in a black gown and mortar board.

She writes: 'High school graduation was just around the corner. I could be free from my old identity!'

But when she got to university, she said although she wore her hair extensions and make-up alone in her dorm room she did not feel strong enough to go public.

Experimentation: Maya, pictured left as Markus aged seven, wearing a skirt and beaded necklace, left, said she often used to wear 'female' clothes

Voice: Maya, pictured left as a baby and right aged eight, has a big following on YouTube with more than 93,000 subscribers

Thoughtful: Maya, pictured left aged 13 and right aged 14 holding a puppy, said it took a long time to create the video

Developing: Maya, pictured aged 15, said: 'I hope you enjoy the journey, and remember that everyone's path in life is different and beautiful in its own way!'

She writes: 'I still didn't have courage to be the real me. I went to university and felt trapped all over again.'

At 18 she said her gender dysphoria was getting worse so she decided to take action.

'I decided to take a stand against my sadness and go by myself to an enormous Trans Pride March!' she writes.

'The march inspired me to finally take steps to become the real me: to transition.'

The march gave her the confidence she needed to begin changing her outward appearance, opting to wear her hair much longer, while also adding lipstick and eye make-up to her everyday beauty look.

On January 1, 2015, aged 19, she decided to open up about her transgender identity by posting it on Facebook.

After that there are numerous photos of her in dresses, openly wearing make-up, showing off manicures and experimenting with longer hair and different styles.

Path: Maya, pictured aged 15, shared the pictures which show her journey of experimentation through childhood and her teenage years

Role-play: Maya, pictured aged 16, said she became 'very involved with theater acting and musicals'

Hiding: Maya, pictured aged 17, said: 'I often had to cut my hair short for the male roles I portrayed'

Desire: When she was a senior in high school, Maya dreamed of wearing this prom dress, pictured

Aged 20 she posts a picture of herself at a festival in a big hat and sunglasses five months into HRT, and another one at six months.

Now she acts as an inspiration to others - sharing messages of hope and optimism on her Instagram account.

'I know life can present struggles that may seem insurmountable, but there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel,' she writes. 'If you feel alone or sad just remember that somebody loves you; I love you all.'

In her videos she has documented some of her most challenging experiences since transitioning.

In a recent question and answer video on her YouTube channel, she said 'there are a million things that are difficult about transitioning' but that a big factor is feeling 'validated'.

She said: 'Inside you have this internal battle where society is telling you "no, you can't" or all of these messages that put you down and make you feel like you're not who you're supposed to be...When people are commenting on my videos saying "you can't menstruate", "you can't have children" "you're not a real women, you'll never be"...that is really hurtful.'

Revelation: Maya, pictured left aged 17 and right aged 18 at a trans pride festival, said going to the event gave her the confidence to go public

Natural: Maya, pictured aged 19, finally felt confident enough to go public about her transgender identity on January 1 last year when she was 18

Fashionista: Maya, pictured left and right aged 19, shared the news on Facebook

Since going public, Maya, pictured aged 19, has shared dozens of images of herself in 'female' clothing and experimenting with styles, hair and make-up

Taking big steps: In the fall, Maya, pictured aged 19, went on her first date, later saying it had been a 'wild ride'

She added: 'Getting past that you have to accept and say, "Hey, no I'm not born female and that's OK." Being transgender is beautiful and I'm not going to pretend that I'm not.'

Maya said her mother has been 'very supportive' of her.

She said: 'She was supportive when I told her when I was 16 years old and then when I started to actually transition when I was 19 then she was even more supportive.

'Seeing the physical changes on me hasn't really affected her in a way that has been noticeable to me.

'Obviously inside she's probably going through things where she's like I'm changing but I've kind of always been myself growing up, especially with my family, my immediate family, so it's not really shocking.

'I look slightly different but I've not changed as a person and I think in that way she doesn't really feel like she's lost a son or anything.'

In one video, she describes her first date which she went on last fall after being asked out by a man she met on a night out.