By Adam Donnelly

Kamloops man wants to help raise awareness on International Transgender Day of Visibility

Mar 31, 2018 | 3:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — March 31st is celebrated around the world as the International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day for transgender people to celebrate their journeys, and the progress the transgender movement has made in helping the world at large understand those journeys.

For one local Kamloops man, that journey continues, as he celebrates the strides made by the transgender community, and continues his own journey.

Daniel Pouliotte has been quite open about his transition from female to male.

“Really, I’ve known all my life I’ve felt a lot different,” Pouliotte explains. “I used to always say I was a boy trapped in a girls body.”

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For the 32-year-old, understanding what those feelings were was difficult, especially in his younger years. It wasn’t until he saw a video posted on YouTube that described how he was feeling that allowed him to put a name to those feelings.

“It was just an incredible sense of relief,” Pouliotte says. “I never wanted to label myself, but I think having that type of label was positive for me. It made me feel like there was a place in the world for me, and that there were also other people who felt like that, so I wasn’t alone .”

While making the transition hasn’t been easy, Dan says the support and understanding he’s received from his friends and family have helped him through the toughest times.

“My Mom and Dad are the most supportive people in my life,” Pouliotte says. “I don’t know how I could have done this without their support, and my friends too. My friends have opened their arms to me and accepted me for who I am. I have a lot of friends who have kids, and their kids accept me.”

Dan knows for many transgender people don’t receive the same kind of support and acceptance he’s had, which is why he’s set up an email address for others going through a difficult time in their transition,  to be able to reach out if they’re in need.

“I didn’t really have anybody, growing up, that I could reach out to,” he says. “This is a great way to, kind of, give back and be able to tell my story or relate… Just being able to talk to somebody that’s been through what you feel, it can be a huge lifesaver.”

March 31st is International Day of Transgender Visibility, a day meant to help raise awareness for people who identify as a gender other than the one they were biologically assigned. For Daniel Pouliotte, that means we should take a step back from judgement, and embrace others for their humanity.

“We’re all just people, and we all just want to live a happy life… and be our authentic self.”