Our Stories

Violet T Talks About the Unfriendly World She Grew Up In , Age: 20

What have you struggled with? When did it become too much?

Homelessness, mental illness, and, being LGBTQIA+ in an unfriendly world. It was all related, and all tied together, but it all began in December of 2013, when I came out as transgender. I told my parents I needed to go to the hospital because I could not deal with my depression, and in the ER I came out.

What kind of support did you get at first? Did it work?

The support I received initially was significant and I started in the right direction swiftly, but not without my own hangups. Coming out in my senior year of high school, I got a lot of support from my local GSA, and I attended PFLAG meetings regularly.

Were there any turning points where things really started to change for the better?

Things were very hard for a very long time, but things have really started to change for the better in the last few months. I have an apartment, a job I feel comfortable at, and I’m making a difference for other people like me by working to change the systems in place to help more and more people.

What’s your life like now? What have you been able to accomplish, and what are you working towards?

I’ve been awarded the NAMI Youth and Young Adult Voice Award for working with NAMI, TurningPointCT, Young Adult Warmline, and the Institute for Community Research. I share my experiences openly so as to help as many people as possible through the toughest parts of their lives.

What would you say to people who are having a tough time? What’s helped you that you wish you had known earlier

You need to hang in there. Things could change any day. Your visit to this site could be the start of it.