‘My life had no future’: How it felt to come out as trans in the 70s

By Jessica Hamilton

The following is an excerpt, Tate’s additional comments are available in the full article here.

The trans landscape today

For today’s trans youth, the landscape has shifted dramatically. Unlike the previous generation, they have grown up in a world with resources, community, and the language to express their identities.

Tate Smith, for example, realised he was trans at age 16. ‘I grew up with two very alpha male figures in my life, my father and stepfather, and for the most part, I didn’t realise I was trans,’ he tells Metro.

Attending school in Brentwood, Essex, he explains: ‘You’ve got to fit in and look a certain way. Even if I was aware of being trans, I don’t think I would have acted on it.’

It wasn’t until Tate found representation in celebrities, such as Laverne Cox, who made history as the first openly transgender person on the cover of Time Magazine in 2014, that he started to discover who he was.

Researching ‘female to male transgender’ online, he says: ‘I stumbled across a YouTube video of this transgender Canadian guy, and I thought f***** hell, that’s what I’ve been looking for.’

However, Tate’s journey was not without challenges. ‘My parents did not approve so I had to go back into the closet,’ he remembers.

Within a year, Tate had moved out of home and felt ‘ready to transition’. ‘I started testosterone in April 2019. It was the best day of my life.’ Then, in 2020 he privately funded his top surgery. ‘I’m still on the NHS waitlist,’ he explains. ‘I’ve been on it since October 2018.’

Living openly still comes with difficulties though. ‘I faced a lot of workplace discrimination, people outing me without my consent, and really inappropriate comments from colleague,’ he explains.

Sadly, a reality all to familiar for transgender people. A 2021 survey found 65% of transgender employees hide their identity at work, due to fear of discrimination.

Despite this, Tate has built a London-based career in consulting and public speaking, advising workplaces on inclusivity.