As a trans man, I had to flee Saudi Arabia to live as my authentic self
I knew I couldn’t seek help or do anything about it though – either medically or legally – and this felt terrible.I had a lot of close friends but they didn’t know anything about what I felt because I had to hide it from everyone.I knew that if I came out to anyone, I could be killed, or sent to prison where I’d be raped or severely tortured just for being who I am.
So I decided to continue living as a female and hide my identity until I got the opportunity to leave.It was a heart-breaking situation but I didn’t have any other choice.Throughout it all, I had a really special friend who I met when I was eight years old via my cousin.
We’d talk all the time on the phone and I really felt close to her.When I was 16, I felt comfortable enough to tell her that I was trans and she was really supportive about it all.
In fact, we started dating. It felt like she was an angel sent from the sky for me.Our relationship progressed so much and so fast but we couldn’t tell anyone about it because I was still presenting as female, so to outsiders, it’d appear we were in a same-sex relationship.That’s why we decided to leave the country together.
