Theo

Get to know Theo:

I’m thrilled to have played a tiny part in Faces of Pride. I knew I was part of the queer community from a fairly young age but came to accept that I was the “B” in LGBTQ2IA+ in my first year of high school. However, my significant coming out story happened when I was 21, just before entering my first season fighting fires for the BC Wildfire Service. I was stationed in a rural community in northern BC. Before that, I had officially come out as trans through a video that went semi-viral on TikTok. A small circle of my friends knew as well but I wanted to reach out to the trans community online because I didn’t know anyone who was experiencing the transition process (coming out was extremely isolating and I felt like I was going through it alone). I ended up meeting one of my best friends that way. Having a small online presence gave me the confidence to come out publicly. I think this project highlights the importance of knowing that you have people just like you within your community, not just online but in your hometown. When you spend a large chunk of your life thinking you’re the odd one out, finding community is an incredibly liberating feeling.