Is There Life After Transition?

The past, present, and what comes after

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Before we dive in: Rey and the Archive exists because of paid subscribers. Your support helps me write, research, show up, and build the kind of queer community I wish I had growing up. If you value art, queer joy, resources, and community stories, consider subscribing for $5/month. It really does make a difference and keeps this work going. That’s the price of an iced coffee on a hot summer day.

🔒 Up next for paid subscribers: In the final installment of Life of a Trans Man Lesbian, I come full circle into the person I was always becoming, and the path it took to get there.

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Background

On October 8, 2014, I received my first testosterone shot. Three years later, I had top surgery, made possible by the Point of Pride Surgery Fund. By 2024, I underwent facial masculinization surgery while underemployed, thanks to Amida Care (a Medicaid-managed plan known for covering gender-affirming surgeries). And in January of this year, I received my final gender-affirming procedure.

So now what?

What’s next?

What is life now in my “post-transition” era?

I’ve crossed the proverbial finish line of my gender journey. With nothing specific waiting on the horizon, I’ve been sitting with these questions that feel both liberating and hard to answer.

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Present

Sitting here in my New York City apartment, I’ve spent the last few months wondering where life is taking me. The political conversation often centers on transgender youth or those who are just starting, which leaves little space for stories like mine. I’m somewhere in the middle, navigating a road that has no map. The road is full of possibilities, but possibilities without direction can also be overwhelming.

Without a map, every direction feels open yet uncomfortable.

Still, the beauty of trans joy is that I get to define it for myself. There is no final version of who I’m supposed to become. I can start over if I want to. I can change my mind. I can live many lives. I get to shape each chapter because I’m the one writing this story.

And the next one? It’s still unwritten, waiting to be filled with experiences, with writing, poetry, and photographs that feel like home.

As Watsky sings in “Ink Don’t Bleed,” a song I’ve carried with me throughout my transition:

Lots of tiny indiscretions way beyond the public eye
That if you saw would probably out me as a complicated guy
Mike says you got to separate the person from the art
But if the arts about that person you can't pull them apart
So you better watch the choices that you're making now because
They are something that matter, they're the only thing that does

These lyrics have stayed with me because this next chapter isn’t just about the destination. It is about the journey to get there.

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Future

Having said all that, what is next for me?

The possibilities are endless, and things have a funny way of changing, but when I sit down to think about what would make me feel whole in this moment, I envision the following:

1. Publish a memoir about my life and gender journey

2. Publish an anthology of poetry that encompasses queerness and Hispanic culture.

3. Continue to improve my composition skills with photography as I document the LGBTQ+ experience in real time and have my visual art shown in galleries and exhibitions.

4. Create resources for transmasculine people, especially the kind I wish I had when I was first starting out.

There is life after transition, and I am learning to live it on my own terms. Thank you for following my journey, and I hope you’ll stay with me on this next adventure.

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