Dara Marie
Dara Marie (she/her)
Dara is a 59-year-old transgender woman who has known her true identity since childhood, though she spent decades suppressing it to meet others’ expectations. After years of prioritizing marriage, parenting, and community roles, she reached a breaking point in 2019 and chose to live openly and authentically. She describes beginning estrogen and receiving affirming care as lifesaving.
Coming out cost Dara her marriage, strained family relationships, and her business, yet she says she would not change her decision. Now living in Idaho, she is supported by local and online LGBTQ+ community networks and is training to become a peer support specialist. As she prepares for additional gender-affirming surgeries and plans to relocate to Washington, Dara remains committed to living authentically and supporting trans youth so they do not face the isolation she once did.
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