Hello! I'm just a small self-made man here with a big dream. I want to help bring more visibility and awareness to the LGBT community, more specifically the T part. Transgender individuals are well under-represented, even with the advancements of the modern world. Sure we have a few famous individuals to speak for our community and set examples, but we really lack proper educational tools and guidance for our youth.

For myself, I had to figure the whole thing out. Alone. Terrified, actually. I had no idea what I was, more importantly WHO I was as an individual. I was scared and alone on so many levels and had no one to reach out to aside from Google. Now I know not everyone’s situation is similar to this, but many cases are. I am actually one of the lucky formerly uneducated youth. I figured out my gender identity, came out even with the most unsupportive family, and made it on my own thus far. For many of our trans youth they are left vulnerable, trapped and alone with unsupportive families and friends. We have lost many to suicide. LGBT youth contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of heterosexual youth. In a nationwide study, 40 percent of trans adults reported having made an attempt on their life, and a stunning 92 percent of these individuals reported having made an attempt on their life before the age of 25. The thought of these statistics brings literal tears to my eyes as I am barely 24. With each life lost to suicide, our world becomes less colorful, less creative, less meaningful. The young people of our country are going to shape this world, and I can only hope that it will be a world far different than what we are in today.

Conservative families push for conversion therapy, and yes it is still a very serious thing. Conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, is probably one of the most problematic and traumatizing types of “therapy” one can put a child through. It is a practice that is based on “reprogramming” the sexual preference of the individual towards heterosexuality. How sickening is it to think this happens every day to individuals whether they be trans, gay, bisexual, pansexual, or anything that doesn’t fit into the family “values”? When conversion therapy is unavailable often families will turn to their church. Exorcisms have been performed, and yes this is an actual fact. You would not believe the measures no matter how cruel and terrible that some families will go to just to make sure their child is “normal.” Activists have been working for many years to stop the cruelty.

Now with all of this being said, the idea behind the brand I’m creating is to donate a portion of the profits to life-saving funds and resources for transgender/LGBT youth. The older I become, the more I realize every day just how lucky I was to survive my beginning stages of transition. I want my brand to be able to make a difference and also help bring more awareness to the LGBT community. When someone is seen wearing one of my shirts or hoodies in public, I want them to wear it with pride and help to educate those around who may ask what the idea behind their top is.

We Exist. We Stand. We Fight. We make an impression when we are able to stand up and be visible in the transgender community. We show the world that we cannot and will not be silenced. There are not always situations where we can be visible, not everyone is able to be visible, and not everyone is safe to be visible. So to those who can make a stand and show off their trans pride, gay pride, bisexual pride etc. We are human, we are equal, and we matter just as much as the next person. Do not ever let anybody in this world dull your shine, and always remember that you matter.