I've always known I was a woman, but I came out as transgender to my family by accident.

When I started transitioning in my early twenties, I stopped visiting my family. I was terrified of telling them the truth about who I was.

The night I was outed, my dad hadn't seen me in months. He was worried about me and asked my brother to help him find me.

I showed up that night at a bar, dressed up in a mini dress—only to find my dad, little brother, and his fiancé there.

We all had a long conversation, and I told my dad who I really was and about my journey. At the end, he said simply, “I am happy to have a very beautiful daughter.”

He has treated me as such ever since, up until his death two years ago.

'Being a woman means finally being honest about who I am and who I have been since I was a child.'

It's not just about wearing a dress, putting on some makeup, wearing high heels, or strapping on a bra. It's about matching my outside with the person I have always been in my mind, in my heart, in my soul.

Growing up, I constantly watched re-runs of Wonder Woman, and the sight of Linda Carter as a powerful, feminine goddess defeating villains got me twirling around my house, hoping that someday I would turn out to be just like her.

I hid who I was for a long time from my family and most of my friends. I am from a Latinx, Catholic family, and I was scared of shaming my parents, repulsing them, or even having them disown me.

'I never understood why my mom tried to make me like Superman instead of Wonder Woman.'

...Or why she hid my sisters’ clothes and Barbie dolls so I couldn't play with them. She passed away when I was 15, and I was never able to tell her the truth about who I was.

I lived with my aunts for a while after high school, and they were never accepting of me. They constantly asked, “Why do you pluck your eyebrows?” “Why do you shave your legs?” They ultimately kicked me out because I was too feminine.

With every step I take as an out, proud woman, I grow stronger.

As an adult, I never felt like I fit in anywhere when I was living as a man. I was too flamboyant for the straight crowd, too feminine for men at gay bars.

It took befriending a transgender woman who lived in my apartment building in my early twenties to make me realize that I wasn't alone. She told me about her transition and recommended a doctor who could help.

'When I was 21, I showed up to my call center job dressed to match who I am—Sofia.'

No one there bullied me or made me feel unwelcome. A few months later, I started my first round of hormone-replacement therapy. I’ve never looked back.



As an activist and community organizer, coming out has been truly liberating. Marching, carrying a sign, and screaming from the top of my lungs about the importance of healthcare and equal rights is empowering, especially for a marginalized Latina trans woman in Texas like me.

Sofia Sepulveda marching in her Wonder Woman shirt. Sofia Sepulveda

Make no mistake—I still struggle. I still struggle with the fear of not being “passable.” I will never have the joy of being pregnant or having a period, which is difficult for me. I have family members who still refuse to call me by my proper name and pronouns. And I’ve learned that being a woman can mean getting harassed by men and getting paid less than your male peers. But with every step I take as an out, proud woman, I grow stronger.



The issues that affect women—poverty, violence, healthcare, discrimination—affect transgender women, too. Trans women are not sexual freaks. We are not confused men dressed in women’s clothing.

We are women, period. We are your sisters. It is important that we are seen, respected and heard. And on International Women's Day, we celebrate with you.