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HELPING TRANS-GENDER YOUTH

MARIA MONGIARDO

From Boston, Massachusetts, Cameron Russo—who is in his early twenties—could write a textbook on courage, compassion, and kindness. With bravery and optimism, he shares an overview of a huge portion of his life in his YouTube video “My Female to Male Transgender Story”—which has been viewed close to seven hundred thousand times.

Telling his full story wasn’t easy, but Cameron knew it was important for many reasons. For starters, he wanted to bring awareness from his personal experience as to what it means to be trans. Simply stated, transgender is a term for people whose gender identity, expression, and/or behavior is different from those typically associated with their assigned sex at birth.

Early in his journey, Cameron decided to chronicle aspects of his life through various social media outlets. He recalls, “I started using social media to document my photos and thoughts while I was transitioning.”

When his content began to get some attention, he realized that, with this platform, the act of opening up would allow him to educate and expose more people to who transgender individuals are. He knew that really putting himself out there with YouTube might draw unwanted attention, but he’d also never forgotten what it was like to go through all the stages of transition without guidance.

Cameron acknowledges, “I was alone throughout my whole transition, hormones, and surgery, so having someone there, even over the Internet, is a huge help.” The opportunity to be kind, even if it meant telling difficult parts of his journey, was something he couldn’t ignore. He was strongly motivated to put his story out there in an even more public way for one major reason: “Because life’s too short, as cliché as that is. I spent so much time hating myself, and now I wish I could get those years back. I see so many people struggling, and I just want to help them.”

In addition to regularly making videos on YouTube and offering advice to trans youth while talking, as he says, to both “pre-transitioned guys and those who are just starting out, to help them find more comfort,” Cameron now inspires countless members of the LGBTQ+ community.

I was fortunate, as a youth reporter for Channel Kindness, to interview Cameron about his story so far. In his most widely viewed YouTube video, he goes back to a moment in 2006 when, at age nine, his parents were divorced and he moved to a new school—and began to feel a disconnect. As high school approached, a feeling of certainty developed about wanting to be a boy.

CHANNEL KINDNESS: When did you know you were trans?

CAMERON: I came out as trans when I was fourteen years old but discovered the term at age thirteen. Once I found out what it was, it just clicked.

The transition from female to male was met with criticism and rejection, including what happened when Cameron’s mother listened to the statement, “I want to cut my hair and be a guy,” and then said, “I know you better than you know yourself, and you are a girl.” That had hurt a great deal because of the painful effort it had taken to come out in the first place. His stepfather was even more critical, blaming Cameron for the tension in the household—which led Cameron to multiple suicide attempts. Through the help of a therapist and Cameron’s own efforts—he worked nonstop to earn the money required for hormonal therapy and surgery—upon high school graduation, he successfully made his transition. He has an excellent relationship with his mom now and with his biological father, both of whom are very supportive and loving, though he remains estranged from his stepdad.

After all of that, are his painful days behind him?

CAMERON: I am a lot happier now. This time it is genuine happiness.

CHANNEL KINDNESS: What advice do you have for other trans youth?

CAMERON: Hang in there. Life may seem like it is at a standstill right now, and you feel like you are never going to get to where you want to be, but I promise you will get there. Be proud of who you are.

CHANNEL KINDNESS: What got you into making YouTube videos?

CAMERON: I started making videos on YouTube because, on Tumblr, a follower of mine asked me to do a question-and-answer, so I made a video and put it on YouTube. Once I started doing that, I started to really enjoy it, so I made more. I just got a new camera for my videos instead of having to use my Mac to record. My videos are on a lot of transgender-related topics, like top surgery and testosterone. I also make “story time” videos about random things that have happened in my life.

CHANNEL KINDNESS: What do you hope people understand from reading about you and your story?

CAMERON: For the first year of my transition, I was stealth outside of the Internet, meaning I was not open about being transgender. I always felt people would be weirded out by me, because I saw so many people bash on trans people online. When people read my story, I just want them to understand that just because I changed my gender does not make me crazy or “sick in the head” like I have been told. I was not happy, and I was on the road to ending my life, so I had to change what I knew was wrong. I want people to watch my videos and realize that things can get so much better once you put yourself first.

CHANNEL KINDNESS: What has surprised you most about sharing your story?

CAMERON: When I told my whole story from beginning to end in a video recently, that was the first time I ever spoke about it out loud. Just initially, it reached over four hundred thousand people and was briefly in a Diane Sawyer 20/20 special on ABC. The amount of people who messaged me after that video was mind-blowing. It was crazy to see how similar other people’s stories were—they were just too scared to be open about it. But because I was, they opened up to me.

Cameron’s courage has earned him well-deserved applause from many in the LGBTQ+ community and from allies who may not be part of the community but want to help. Knowing that a disproportionately high percentage of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people have attempted suicide, Cameron hopes to encourage everyone to consider looking for ways to help and support the LGBTQ+ community. He recommends, “Every summer, there is a Pride parade in almost every state. It is really fun, and so many people go. Even if you do not fall in the L, G, B, T, or Q+, it is always better with more people. Educating others is so important. Since social media is so big nowadays, sharing videos is so easy, and it reaches a lot of people. A really simple way of being involved in the community is just by being kind.”

I love Cameron’s wise advice and am so grateful to you, Maria, for sharing it. Life is too short to spend any time hating yourself, so if you’re lucky enough to be able to embrace yourself and who you are, we encourage you to share your story and help other people accept themselves as well. Thank you for your bravery, Cameron. We’re so glad you’re here. If you or someone you know needs more resources to support their transition journey, please visit Trans Lifeline, Human Rights Campaign, or the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Cameron Russo is the definition of someone who has chosen to channel kindness, adding in equal parts courage and compassion, and I predict he will continue to grow in his role as a leader of a movement of inclusion, acceptance, and empowerment.