Kayden Whitaker

Senior Kayden Whitaker first started realizing that he might be different around the summer of his sixth grade year. He had felt more comfortablewearing typical boy clothing to
swim in and preferred cutting his hair short.

But during this time, Whitaker didn’t know what the term transgender meant. He only learned what it was while talking to a friend.

“(Coming out) wasn’t as dramatic as I thought it would be,” Whitaker said. ”All my parents were supportive of it.”

Whitaker’s mother, Crystal Cathey, said it was a bit of an adjustment when her son first came out, but now it feels like this is the way he was born.

“Nothing changed. He’s my kid,” Cathey said. “I loved him then, and I love him now.”

Whitaker had some doubts during his route to self-discovery. These doubts about his identity caused him to spiral into a depression.
He was at the height of puberty and had just been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS, which affects hormones.

“I don’t know how I’d be coping with [being transgender] if I weren’t on testosterone,” Whitaker said.

He has been on testosterone for a couple of years, but originally, he was on a medication on called Depo Provera that stopped his periods. Before he started taking this medication, his appearance was very feminine.

But after his body started to change, he began to feel more like himself. Initially he began with a very low dose. Over time, the dosage has gone up, but

he learned through his doctor that starting with a high dosage can be dangerous.

Recently though, he has been able to stop taking it because his testosterone levels are high enough.
He also had to go through counseling and hours of questioning to make sure that he was completely sure that he wanted to start testosterone a year and a half after coming out.

He says he was blessed with a community full of support for who he is. All of the friends he came out to supported him fully and so did both of his parents and step dad.

They were there for him when he first started taking testosterone and changed his name legally in 2019. While his parents have always been on board with his transition, it took some of his other family members time to understand the situation. Whitaker knew they were not transphobic, just confused, but they got used to it after some time.

But, his journey has not always been filled with positivity and support. Sometimes he’s surrounded by negativity about his identity, but he doesn’t let that get to him because he knows it’s all rooted from ignorance.

“I’ve gotten lucky so far in my transition of not having that bad of an experience with others,” Whitaker said.