CONNOR LEMUS

LGBT students in Venice High school have a chance to speak up about their issues and who are supporting them. Connor Lemus is a freshman at Venice High school, who identifies as transgender.

What struggles are you going through right now?

Like my parents accepting me, and people using my preferred pronouns and name. My parents are really closed-minded, so when I had to tell my mom, she was like, “I still don’t understand, I feel like you need to go through trauma to feel this way.” Then people don’t respect it sometimes, but other times they mess up and they correct themselves, and that’s really cool.

Who’s the one who is really helping you right now?

My friends, all of my friends. One of them has been friends with me since 4th grade and he’s really cool and accepting because he uses my pronouns and corrects others.

So on YouTube or Social Media, who are the trans people you follow?

I follow Miles Mckenna, and there’s this cos-player named Robin Serrander who’s trans, but I don’t know a lot of people.

When was the eye-opening “I am trans” moment? 

So from 6th-7th grade, I was like, “yo, I don’t like how I feel,” and it’s not because of like my body figure… well, it kinda is, but it’s something else. Back then I looked it up with my friend who’s trans, and he was like, “Bro, you probably are trans.”  

Does seeing trans people detransitioning (a person who was transgender and now doesn’t identify as transgender anymore) scare you? Does it make you doubt yourself?

Sometimes I doubt myself, but sometimes I’m like, “no man, you’re not doubting yourself, you know who you are.