The memoir drops readers into Sky’s mind from being a sports-loving tomboy to sneaking away to rainy Boston pride parades to finding his community online. Now, he’s opening up in a new way: with his memoir Before I Had the Words released Sept 5. Through the intimate ups and downs of being a trans youth, he’s grown a community of over 115,000 followers who comment and like as he explores his path to understanding his gender identity. Skylar, or Sky, has been making YouTube videos documenting his transition from female to male since 2009. I am still learning.This is the YouTube channel of Skylar Kergil : musician, artist, local Boston resident, goer-of-hip-coffee-shops, and transgender activist. Some people are transgender until you hear their stories, you may not know what that means to them. There are no requirements for being transgender.

There are choices we all make every day that shape who we become. Skylar opens up about the long path to gaining his family's acceptance and to accepting himself, sharing stories along the way about smaller challenges like choosing a new name and learning to shave without eyebrow mishaps.īefore I Had the Words brings new meaning to the phrase 'formative years.'

As humorous as it is heartbreaking and as informative as it is entertaining, this memoir provides an intimate look at the experience of transitioning from one gender to another. From early childhood memories to the changes and confusion brought by adolescence, Skylar reflects on coming of age while struggling to understand his gender. This is the story of what came before the videos and what happened behind the scenes. Through surgeries and recovery, highs and lows, from high school to college to the real world, Skylar welcomed others on his journey. Skylar's openness and positivity attracted thousands of viewers, who followed along as his voice deepened and his body changed shape. In the months and years that followed, he recorded weekly update videos about the physical and emotional changes he experienced. Revealing entries from the author's personal journals as well as interviews with his mother, brother, and friends lend remarkable depth to a groundbreaking memoir of change, loss, discovery, pain, and relief.Īt the beginning of his physical transition from female to male, then-seventeen-year-old Skylar Kergil posted his first video on YouTube. 'A must-read for anyone who is trans or has trans family or friends.' -Chase Ross, trans activist and speaker.

Before I Had the Words by Skylar Kergil