Editor’s note: This is an installment of Transouthern Youth, a Spectrum South original series spotlighting transgender youth across the South.
By Megan Smith
Dominic Anthony Green is on a journey and the universe is guiding him. “I was raised by a Christian family,” Green, who identifies as a pansexual trans man, explains. “Yet, I have different beliefs and I make them very known. I believe in more than a God—I believe in many Gods, I believe in myself, and the universe. I believe the mind is a prison and the only way out is to open your mind. That’s what I have been doing.”
On his quest to nurture his mind, body, and soul, the 19-year-old left his hometown of Baytown, Texas to make a life for himself in Houston. In the Bayou City, he has found strength in his truth—a confidence he never imagined possible when he first began questioning his gender identity at age 12. “I was researching and researching ‘I feel like a boy trapped in a girl’s body,’” Green says. “Then, I found Skylar Kergil on YouTube. He was the only person that I could relate to. It felt so good to know that I wasn’t alone. But it felt horrible to know I was trapped [in my body] for the next six years, as I assumed I’d have to wait until I was 18 to transition.”
“I came out to my mother when I was 12,” Green continues. “I wrote her a letter. We were sitting in the car and I gave it to her, crying already. I remember apologizing in the letter for feeling the way I did, for feeling like ‘something went wrong when God created me.’ I remember feeling trapped in this body that wasn’t mine. We were both crying at this point, but she was okay with it. I think she hoped it would’ve passed, but [I never felt] she wasn’t accepting of me.”
Green has since developed a social media presence that delivers the same representation and visibility he longed for as a preteen. He’s built a following of over 79,000 followers on Instagram, where he shares images of his transition, along with personal anecdotes about his experience with hormone therapy and gender confirmation surgery. “Social media gave me the friends and family I was never able to grow up with,” he says. “I’ve met some of the most amazing people. I started building my platform before coming out as transgender, though after I did come out on social media, I gained way more followers. More people who felt how I felt noticed me. Then, I got a shoutout from Justin Blake (@justinblake) and we met and hung out a couple times while he was on tour. I never really stopped gaining followers after that.”
“I don’t really consider myself a trans advocate,” Green adds. “I only use social media as a platform to spread positivity within and throughout. It’s very much needed, especially in a community where people are continuously judging one another for being entitled to different opinions, for the different ways of being trans, for liking different music, or just for living different lives.”
While Green humbly denies being an activist, his social media followers would adamantly disagree. “The response [I’ve gotten on Instagram] has been eye watering,” he says. “I get a lot of feedback, mostly about how I have positively impacted others’ lives. I’ve inspired others to live more balanced and versatile lifestyles. Some say I have opened others’ eyes to see things differently, whether it’s by posting a positive quote or spilling the most recent obstacle I’ve faced. I get told that I’ve helped others come out to their families and friends. ‘You helped me become proud of myself. I’m not out to my family, but I no longer hate myself because you’ve shown me how beautiful it can be to just be yourself and to be proud of it.’ Things like that. It makes my heart feel like there are fireworks going off in there. It’s beautiful.”
Green is also working diligently to build his career as a fashion model and actor. He was recently featured in genderqueer photographer Soraya Zaman’s ongoing American Boys project, which aims to expand perceptions of the transmasculine community. “The project captures the diversity of transmasculine lives all over the USA,” Green says. “It explores minds, homes, and journeys, shares experiences, processes in transitioning, and more.”
“My goal will always be to spread positivity and awareness within any community,” he says, reflecting on future endeavors. “It’s actually pretty easy to find different ways of stepping into trans activism—there are many different LGBTQ clubs, meetings, and online organizations! You just have to take action towards what you want.”
To keep up with Dominic, follow him on Instagram (@lolhidominic).
