Digital Transgender Archive

Interview with James Schwartz

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James Schwartz identifies as a trans man and was assigned female at birth. He was born in Maple Grove, Minnesota where his parents grew up and then moved to Monticello, Minnesota in second grade. Schwartz has two younger brothers. In high school he was out as gay and presented masculine. He never identified as a lesbian since the term made him uncomfortable, and now he understands why since coming out as trans. He didn’t know anyone else who was queer in high school and was lonely. He grew up going to Pride in a queer and trans-friendly household where one of his grandparents is trans. His parents were accepting of Schwartz when he came out to them as queer. Around 19 or 20 while in college he started questioning his gender and later came out as trans on Facebook to most people in his life. He’s not out to his immediate family yet. He generally dates femme presenting people or cis women. Since coming out and finding community, he’s felt more comfortable, more relaxed, and less on edge. He’s in therapy at the Program in Human Sexuality. Schwartz plans on having top surgery and, most of the time, would like to see himself starting hormones. He’s worked with his grandma at the Gender Education Center, and he also worked for the Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He’s getting a degree in forest and natural resource management.

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