We’re Judged Because My Husband Is Trans

A MARRIED trans couple are fighting prejudice together and want to be noticed as ‘husband and wife’. The 22nd October 2019 will be a date Tay Kennedy will always treasure; it’s when his name was officially changed from Leticia to Tay Michael Kennedy. The 23-year-old was born biologically female and despite coming out as a trans male seven years ago, some of Tay’s relatives still refer to him by the female pronoun. Together with his wife Anayah, Tay hopes the name and gender marker change from the Anoka court house will help the couple to be seen as husband and wife. Married for over 18 months, the couple have got used to family members still referring to Tay as if he was a woman. The former teenage sweethearts first met at a pizza restaurant in Minnesota, where they both worked. At the time of meeting, Tay identified as a lesbian while Anayah had had boyfriends but found herself falling in love with Tay. When Tay came out as trans, the couple experienced judgement from corners they perhaps hadn’t anticipated, with some of Tay’s own family members struggling to come to terms with the change. Tay and Anayah recently gathered family members together to reveal the name and gender change had been made official as well as announce that Tay would be having top surgery before the end of 2019. In 2020 Tay also plans to have a hysterectomy as his physical transformation continues. As Tay’s transition becomes more visble he hopes it will help his family to journey with him, understanding more of the man he believes he was always born to be.