This transgender teen is raising money for kids like him in the best way
Casper came out age 12 (Casper)
This is the moment trans teenager, Casper, braved a bungee jump to raise funds for young trans people.
Casper, 15, came out as trans to his family three years ago and now wants to help increase support for trans youth.
He braved a bungee jump to raise money for Mermaids, a charity that supports transgender and gender diverse young people and their families.
Casper booked in the bungee jump after feeling he wanted to “give back” to the charity that supported him and his family through his coming out and transition.
“My whole life, I knew I was different. I didn’t know people could even be transgender,” he told PinkNews.
“So when I asked my hairdresser to ‘cut my hair like a boy’ when I was 6-years-old, I didn’t think much of it. All I knew was that I wanted to be seen as a boy.
“When I got older, around 8 or 9, my family started to refuse to go clothes shopping with me because of how stressed I would get in the shops. Previously, I’d just shopped in the little boys section. But, as my body developed, I was prompted to start shopping in the ladies. This caused screaming, fighting, panic attacks, meltdowns, and so much more.
“I hated how my body was changing. I had found out about the word transgender when I was about 9, and immediately labelled myself as it.
“However, because of what I had seen in the news and media, I had assumed you had to be 18 to be trans and told myself I would have to wait until then before i told anyone.
“Then I remember discovering some American documentaries about transgender children – yet these were all trans girls. I couldn’t find anyone who was like me.
“Still, I carried on my research and carried on hating my body. In year 7, I even had to get counselling for self harm. The counsellor was doing some worksheets with me, and she said ‘draw yourself in 10 years’ – I broke down into tears, and I couldn’t explain to anyone how I felt.
“It was awful. In year 8, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore and spent two to three months writing a coming out letter.
- Casper’s jump (Casper)
“I was scared for people’s reactions. However, my mum had never talked about LGBT people in a negative light and often tried to subtly hint that LGBT was okay, I assume because she thought I was a lesbian due to my tomboyish personality.”
Casper came out to his family via a coming out letter at age 12.
“My family took it well and I do feel better for coming out. I haven’t regretted it once,” he said.
“It still continues to be so difficult to be trans though. The discrimination at school has mostly stopped but my mum is the only one who calls me by the right name and pronouns. This is another reason why Mermaids are important, she found out so much information through them and now she is super great about me being trans.”
After coming out, transgender support charity Mermaid helped Casper’s family and friends understand what he might be going through.
“My mum was able to receive help and advice through Mermaids and be supported as a single mum,” he explained.
“I decided to fundraise for Mermaids because I think they are an extremely important charity that provides essential support to trans youth.”
Casper won’t be doing another bungee jump any time soon though, as he had “never felt such terror.”
“I felt like I was going to carry on falling forever, though nothing prepared me for the bounce upwards that followed the fall.
“After it, though, I felt really accomplished and it’s something I will never forget.
- Casper hopes to help more young trans people (Casper)
“It would mean the world if you could donate. Charities like Mermaids help hundreds of young transgender children and teens every year, and every pound will go to educating and supporting people who need it most.”
Casper’s fundraising page can be found here.
