By 19, her transgender identity seemed permanent

A survivor of the October 7th attacks recounted her personal journey with gender identity, which shifted dramatically during the crisis.

Initially fascinated by the idea of transitioning from female to male as a child, she was deeply influenced by popular culture and trans influencers.

By 19, her transgender identity seemed permanent, prompting her parents to send her abroad in hopes that different cultural exposures would impact her views.

However, the turning point came unexpectedly during a rocket attack on October 7th, when she had to flee without her breast binder.

In the rush, she experienced her body’s natural movement without the binder, leading to a significant realization about her physical self.

She recognized that there was nothing wrong with her body and that her previous feelings of gender dysphoria might have been influenced by cultural and societal factors.

This experience led her to view her struggles with gender identity as potentially amplified by the specific cultural context of the developed world, where identity exploration can often take precedence over survival.