I have been given many labels in this life that society has conformed for me to have. Yet the labels society dictates (Veteran, disabled and transgender) are a tiny part of who I am. Through my transition and similarly throughout my life, I have seen both the positivity in labels and felt the detriment such labels have made to my life - something I'm sure many of you can identify with in some way. Honesty, transparency, and the belief that life is a two-way road are what I have incorporated as an asset into each area of my life, and not just through this transition journey.

As a child, from age six to my early teens, I was subjected to trauma in the forms of sexual and mental abuse. But I refuse to let those scenes define me. Instead, I believe these experiences taught me to have a strong spirit and have gifted me a unique insight, bringing home the importance of being true to myself and those around me. Despite this period in my life, I just wasn’t born a survivor but a warrior, the warrior that is Mr Adam McDonald – pleased to meet you!

All my life I have experienced prejudice and discrimination simply for being myself. Born female, meaning I was instantly given a label. Told that girls don’t play football, girls wear dresses. Yet I didn’t have any conformity for this label because that wasn’t me! Growing up I was told that being a lesbian meant I was dirty, shameful, and wrong. Was I those things? No. I was and still am true to myself. Unapologetically me.