Transgender people are sharing inspiring photos of how they have changed with #MomentsInTransition

“I wanted to badly to find ME”

(David Silverman/Getty Images)

Transgender people are raising awareness of the process of transitioning by sharing photos of how they have physically changed alongside #MomentsInTransition.

Gabrielle Diana, a 17-year-old from Ottawa, Canada, is believed to have sparked the trend by posting a photo of herself on Instagram.

She used the hashtag to caption an image of herself before she came out as trans.

 

I was scrolling through my old photos, just reminiscing on old times. I never really like to go back to these times in my life, but something about seeing the image on the left have so much happiness for where I am now. I remember this time in my life so vividly for a time I always tried to forget. I was a rebel, smoked cigarettes, didn't do homework, wore absolutely horrible makeup, and didn't have a care in the world. I was also highly depressed, felt trapped, unhappy, and fucking low. I was obsessed with @jeffreestar and @gigigorgeous, I wanted so badly to find ME. It took a while, for sure. I used to wear my moms dresses and makeup, and it wasn't easy in the beginning since I wasn't transitioning, I was just a gay boy experminenting with my image, but now I'm a transitioning woman, almost getting to the next step of a major surgery that I never imagined would be in the cards. I thought about my life, thought about the fact that this dream I had is finally becoming something REAL and I wouldn't have it any other way. I look back on my past and I'm not ashamed of it, I'm not embarrassed. I don't really ever say my name that I used before I started living happily because I never connected with that name but I connect with how Gabrielle always existed, subconsciously. From my days in elementary school to my days in high school, I'm so happy, I've never been more happy and I can't believe this is real. Half of the people who follow me don't know even one part of the struggles and hell I endured on the road to happiness but my struggles made me a confident young woman, and I'm truly blown away because if you asked me 3 years ago, I would have genuinely thought I would be dead if I couldn't explore this world of gender identity that led me to transitioning. I love you all, I love you all, you helped me be free, thank you so much. #transisbeautiful #transisreal #girlslikeus #momentsintransition

A photo posted by Gabrielle Diana (@gabrielledianaa) on Mar 29, 2016 at 4:09pm PDT

“I was highly depressed, felt trapped, unhappy and f*cking low,” she wrote.

“I wanted to badly to find ME," she added.

She made the post before International Transgender Day of Visibility on 30 March.

The hashtag then quickly spread across Instagram and Twitter and made headlines worldwide, as transgender people shared photos of themselves at defining moments.

Many of the photos showed transgender people at points in their lives before they were more comfortable with their appearance.

 

Had such a fab day celebrating transgender day yesterday hope everyone had a fab one! Best of luck to everyone #momentsintransition #transisbeautiful #girlslikeus #transgendervisibilityday #transpride #mtf #lgbt #transwoman #transgender

A photo posted by Leah Patterson (@leahpatterson1998) on Apr 1, 2016 at 1:24pm PDT

Gabrielle told Buzzfeed that she felt it was important to "look back" on defining moments of transition.

“It’s our way of saying, these are moments in our transition that defined us even more, and we are gonna wear these moments for our own desire, not to please anyone else," she said.

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However, the US LGBT rights organisation Glaad has stressed that it is important for people not to share photos of a person before their transition without their permission

Transgender rights have come to mainstream attention in recent years, thanks to the work of campaigners as well as celebrities such as Orange is the New Black actress Laverne Cox. In June 2014, she appeared on the cover of Time magazine, beside the headline "The Transgender Tipping Point."