IDHOSPITAL

Meet Echo Monroe, our ID Angel! She has had FFS surgeries at ID Hospital, and we caught up with her a year later, as she had come back for more surgery. She has had a total transformation. Having a lot of surgeries is not only a physical ordeal, but it is also a very emotional journey. Being a transgender woman comes with a lot of challenge and many face a lot of prejudice, but we love all of the special, strong women who have the courage to come and change their lives. Echo is one such woman.

Echo Monroe is 25 years old, born and raised in Texas, USA. She is a cosmetologist and has started her transition on February 2016.

ID Hospital Interview – Echo Monroe

ID Hospital: What is your birth name? Have you legally changed your name?

Echo: Robert was my birth name. I have changed it to Echo Monroe.

ID Hospital: Can you define what it means to be a transgender?

Echo: To be transgender is to know yourself on the inside, while trying to get the outside to match. In my case, I am female born in the wrong body.

ID Hospital: What is the difference between being gay, lesbian and being transgender?

Echo: Being gay or lesbian is sexuality. Being transgender is identity. It is totally different.

ID Hospital: When did you first come to realize that you are a female?

Echo: I have always known that I am a female. It took me reaching my own version of rock bottom to face the woman I knew I needed to become.

ID Hospital: How long have you been on hormones? How did your body change with HRT?

Echo: I have been on hormones since Feb 2016. With HRT, my body filled out, and my mind was steadily put at ease. I’m less angry and more emotional and rational.

ID Hospital: What was it like coming out to family and friends? Were they accepting?

Echo: Coming out to my family was hard. I knew that there was a possibility I’d lose them because of our Faith, but I needed to do this for me. I needed to be selfish. No matter what, love will always be stronger. At the moment, they are reaching out to rebuild our relationship and to know the person that I really am.

ID Hospital: What is the best way to respond when someone says they are transitioning or are a transgender?

Echo: Support. I know that it may sound confusing, and regardless of how you feel, it’s not time to be selfish. A person who is transitioning is just as confused as you are, maybe even worst. During the transition phase, the most important thing is love and support.

To be continued…

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