{"id":38141,"date":"2016-03-16T18:06:53","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T23:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=38141"},"modified":"2016-03-16T18:06:53","modified_gmt":"2016-03-16T23:06:53","slug":"a-teens-journey-to-his-true-gender-identity-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/a-teens-journey-to-his-true-gender-identity-video\/","title":{"rendered":"A teen’s journey to his true gender identity (Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Stephanie Golden<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zayne Stapleton arrives for a job interview at Kroger in West Chester, Ohio, with a boyish grin and neatly dressed in his favorite pair of skinny jeans, an orange, blue, black and gray plaid button- down shirt, and a pair of leather Vans. His spiked, coifed, dark hair makes him the perfect poster child for the \u201cmetrosexual male.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although born Tayah Marie Stapleton, he found his way to Zayne Taylor Stapleton at the age of 12 with the love and support of his parents and step-sister. The well-spoken and confident 16-year-old teenage boy is comfortable with his change of gender identity. Yet that journey was not always an easy one for any of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when I dressed him in a pink dress for his third birthday,\u201d said Tonya Revilla, Zayne\u2019s mother. \u201cHe snuck into his brother\u2019s room and changed into a pair of his pajamas and came downstairs to the birthday party. That is when I stopped trying to put him in girl\u2019s clothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For Zayne and many others, the transgender journey started with a conflict between a physical gender and the gender with which a person identifies. Someone who is physically female may actually feel and act like a boy. A male may feel and act like a girl.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeep down I always knew I was a boy since I was two,\u201d Zayne said in an authoritative tone. \u201cI felt like a boy and I kept mentioning it to my mom.\u201d<\/p>\n

His parents thought \u201ctheir little girl\u2019s\u201d desire to be a boy was just a phase and that Zayne would eventually grow out of it, Revilla said. But Zayne was determined to convince them that what he was feeling was not going away.<\/p>\n

[vimeo 159274539 w=474]<\/p>\n

\u201cI watched this video on You Tube talking about being transgender,\u201d Zayne said. \u201cI was happy to finally find out what I was going through. The next thing was to tell my parents. I told my Mom that I was transgender and she started supporting me but it was harder for my Dad to accept.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zayne’s dad Rusty Stapleton fondly reminisces about how he called Zayne \u201cNugget\u201d when he saw him being born. Stapleton, a self-employed contractor, admits to struggling with Zayne\u2019s transition from female to male. He tries hard to make sure his son knows he loves him by correcting even the small things that can cause a dissension, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I introduced him to people I would say, ‘This is my child,’\u201d Stapleton said. \u201cI really did not know that really hurt him until his Mom said something to me. Zayne identifies as a male and I still have to work on making sure I identify him as a male. I am still a work in progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zayne\u2019s sister, Heather Wondrely, is proud of her step-brother\u2019s handling of the transition from female to male at such a young age. While going through his own self-discovery he helped others understand his gender identity journey, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cZayne made it real easy for me to understand him being a transgender,\u201d Wondrely said. \u201cHe explained it in a way that allowed me to wrap my head around. He is amazing. I just want to keep encouraging him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back at his job interview, Zayne tried to explain how he is transgender male, then asked if he will be able to use the men’s bathroom when he begins work at Kroger. His interviewer hesitated, then speculated that he may not be allowed to do so.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Zayne accepts the job and returns home to contact Kroger’s human resources department. His mother was impressed.<\/p>\n

“He straightened it out and they said he will be allowed to use the men’s bathroom,” Revilla said. “It amazes me how he handled it. That’s Zayne.”<\/p>\n

Photo at top: Zayne Stapleton at his home in West Chester, Ohio. (Stephanie Golden\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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