Transform

Toward the end of last year, senior Oliver Smith looked through the school yearbook to find his name printed in the back page index. Unlike the hundreds of other students whose names were also listed in the thick book, for Smith, the appearance of the name ‘Oliver’ meant something different than just a name. For Smith, who was born with the name Abrielle, those six letters meant so much more.

“It was awesome seeing my name there,” Smith said. “It was like, ‘That’s me, and people are going to acknowledge it and respect me for that.’”
Smith changed his name last year and was openly transgender to his friends for a while before he came out to his parents. The long wait stemmed from apprehension about how they would react to news that their child identified as male.
Smith approached his parents in different ways. While he told his mom the truth during a simple car ride home, his dad experienced something a little more unique.
“I had literally gone to hide in the closet, and when he went to come find me for dinner, he was like, ‘What are you doing?’” Smith said. “I stepped out and was like, ‘I’m coming out of the closet, Dad. I’m gay and transgender.’ He just told me to go down and eat.”
Since that time, Smith’s parents have gone through a rapid learning experience, one that has not been without its ups and downs.
“My mom is really good about using the name Oliver. Sometimes she’ll mess up with using he/her pronouns, but for the most part she does really well,” Smith said. “My dad, on the other hand, just doesn’t do it. He jokes a lot about it, which is really upsetting.”
Though Smith has only recently been out to his classmates, he said there were some signs of his identity from an early age.
“I’ve always had short hair, and I was constantly mistaken for a guy when I was little, and it never bothered me,” Smith said with a small laugh. “It was about a year and a half ago when I realized why it never bothered me.”
Since then, a lot of changes have happened in Smith’s life. Besides being more openly out to the rest of the school, this year marked the first time he started asking his teachers to call him by his chosen name, Oliver.
“All of my teachers do that perfectly,” Smith said. “When they do roll call, I’m Oliver. When they grade papers, I’m Oliver. Pronouns are a different story. It’s harder for people to make that change, especially since I look female.”
Smith, whose shock of pastel blue hair belies a quiet voice, said not many people beyond his friend group are aware of his gender identity. He prefers not to draw attention to himself and will usually let it slide if others use the wrong pronouns.

“[The new CPS transgender policy] will make me feel confident and respected and generally safe and happy,” Smith said.

He is fighting another battle, though. For the past few months, Smith and his mother have been working with his guidance counselor, Leslie Kersha, to have his name officially listed as ‘Oliver’ in the school district’s system.
“I want to have my name changed, but my mom’s kind of iffy about it,” Smith said. “She’s worried I’ll get bullied if I’m fully out, but I do want to get my name changed as soon as I can. I also want to have the surgery and stuff like that.”
Smith’s mother has reason for concern. According to a survey conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 59 percent of LGBTQ youth experienced “high levels of harassment and bullying during school.”
In an effort to provide further protections for transgender youth, Columbia Public School district board voted Sept. 14 to include gender identity and expression to the district’s anti-discrimination policy.
For transgender students like Smith, the change could mean being able to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with, as well as being a legal assurance of fair treatment.
“I think [the policy] is awesome. For me personally, bathrooms and locker rooms aren’t a big deal, but I know to some it would be,” Smith said. “What I’m most excited about is the protection against discrimination. It will make me feel more confident and respected and just generally safe and happy.”
By Jenna Liu