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Id been living in stealth since I was 17 years old, mostly for safety reasons.

Only my very close friends knew I was transgender.

Even my own nieces and nephews had no idea, since they were born long after I transitioned.

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But then my story broke on the national news two years ago, and everything changed.

The world now knows me for who I really am.

Its hard to explain.

Its about more than just my love of Barbie dolls or my desire to be a cheerleader.

It was an internal feeling.

I had no name for it until I was 15 and saw my first transgender person on TV.

She was on some horrible talk show, likeJerry Springer, but still, I recognized myself in her.

The realization came as both a reliefand a terror.

I, of course, didnt dare tell anyone.

School was difficult for me.

I hated life, because I never belonged.

My classmates would bully me all the time, because they thought I was gay.

One day during my freshman year, after being pelted with rocks, I refused to go back.

Im not gay, I said.

I feel like Im a woman.

I cant tell you how lucky I am to have such incredibly supportive parents.

My dad said that hed known, since I was about five years old.

My mom took me shopping in the teen girls department for all new clothes.

She even bought me my first bikini.

It wasnt that I was trapped in a male body.

I was more repulsed by it.

To me, having a penis made me feel disgusting, like,What is this thing?

This was a decade ago now.

Times were different back then.

To feel secure in my identity, I felt I needed to be high-femme all the timedainty and delicate.

I never went out without wearing makeup, a short skirt and high heels.

Even my drivers license and birth certificate listed my correct name and gender: Chloie Jonsson, Female.

I still had a touchy few years in there.

In 2011, Id discovered CrossFit, which pushed me in a way Id never been pushed before.

I loved everything about it: the workouts, the results, the community.

The more I did it, the stronger I got and the fiercer I felt.

There are so many different ways to be a woman.

Id assumed the regulations would be the same as the International Olympic Committees.

This conveys significant physical and physiological advantages that even hormone therapy cannot erase.]

Their response left me devastated.

I figured, if I cant stand up for myself now, Ill never be able to.

My teammates rallied around me.

My friends sent me supportive messages.

My nieces and nephews just sort of shrugged.

Kids today dont care.

Of course, I got a ton of hate mail, too.

Win or lose, Im happy to say that Im finally able to own who I amall of me.