Isabelle Langley, 16
Student and advocate
Female with a trans experience
She/her
After dinner on a Friday evening, an anxious ten-year-old Isabelle sat with her mother Naomi on the staircase leading up to her bedroom for a chat, as they often did.
Over the years, the staircase has become a quiet place in the busy Langley household to have heart-to-heart conversations and a meeting point to check in with each other. That Friday night was no different to any other, except this time Isabelle was about to embark on a life-changing journey.
“I don’t like my body. I don’t feel like a boy… I feel like a girl. It feels like a mistake to be a boy,” confided Isabelle to her mother.
Isabelle was assigned male at birth but from a very young age always knew she was different.
“When I was around five years old, I had a sudden inkling that I was probably not a boy. I didn’t fully understand what I felt but I couldn’t let it go away. I knew I just had to tell someone… Mum was really calm and understanding… It was good telling someone and getting the weight off my shoulders,” recalls Isabelle.
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Photo notes
Isabelle and I spent a great length of time chatting on that staircase when I visited her for the photo shoot. It’s such a peaceful corner, away from the hustle and bustle of the household and I felt so privileged to be invited to experience how safe and wonderful that space is.
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