Trans student rebuffs judgement of others

When 10-year-old Kate Popha McIntyre looked at herself in the mirror, she saw a body that was not hers.

It was a confusing time for the young girl who, after spending her first seven years of her life in a Colombian orphanage, had been adopted by an Australian family and placed in a prestigious Perth girls' school.

Now a Rockingham construction student called Ches, in honour of his Columbian birth father, the 23-year-old said his childhood and adolescence as Kate were difficult, particularly as his new family had hoped he would be their much longed-for daughter.

Ches said his adoptive mother encouraged Kate to wear dresses and enjoy traditionally feminine pursuits. But Ches said Kate knew from an early age that was not what she wanted.

He said Kate's enthusiasm for sports drew the attention of bullies at school and she wondered briefly if she was a lesbian, before coming to terms with the notion that she had been born into the wrong body.

"I used to run away a lot because I felt pressurised into being something I wasn't," Ches said.

"I admit there was some anti- social behaviour when I was a teenager - I acted up because of it."

Ches said it changed his life for the better five years ago when his father accepted a job in Scotland.

He said the acceptance he felt among new friends in the cities of Aberdeen, Glasgow and Perth helped him to come to terms with who he really was.

"Going to Scotland changed my life - I think it was because they were very accepting there," Ches said.

"I found an outlet in music and started writing lyrics when I was 21 - I want to raise awareness of transgender issues through my music."

But Ches' new life in Scotland began to crack two years ago when he began using illicit drugs.

After arguing with his parents, Ches, who now identifies as a straight man, said he decided to turn his life around and return to WA alone in 2014.

He said he had been living in homeless shelters in Mandurah and Leederville since, alongside periods of living on the streets, but was determined to earn a qualification in construction at Rockingham's Smyl Community Learning Centre and persevere with his musical career.

"After months of counselling, I was allowed to start taking testosterone last week," Ches said.

"It's like a dream come true and something that has been a long time coming."

Ches said he regularly experienced discrimination, particularly from restaurant or shop staff when he used ladies' toilets (something he is still legally required to do), but he was determined to achieve his dreams.

"I want to be an inspiration to other young homeless people - a lot of them don't have a voice and they are relying on me," Ches said. "The key to achieving happiness is being happy with who you are."