Pride Profile: Tru Wilson and her gap-year of growth and discovery

Tru Wilson, 19, is a trans woman living in Delta who is known for her trans rights activism and advocacy work across Canada. She’s currently taking a gap-year after graduating high school last year and is enjoying a more relaxed approach to young adulthood.

This transcription has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Can you tell me about yourself?

I’m a really creative and artistic person. My mom credits herself in spawning that because she’s a painter and an artist and I grew up watching her. I like to draw, create original characters, digital art, play video games and I’m a very extroverted person, too, so I love hanging out with my friends.

I also attend a lot of anime conventions and cosplay. I used to cosplay a lot when I was a teenager, and I would upload photos and videos to social media and would attend conventions with my friends. That’s led into a love of makeup and experimenting with clothes and fashion.

What are you up to these days?

I’ve tried to settle more into a more relaxed life -- unlike my more radical tween and teen years when I was doing a lot of speaking engagements and activism. It was great going to events, meeting amazing people and telling my story, but being an activist at such a young age, it didn’t really leave a lot of room for me to be young. So, I’m starting to define who I am now as a young adult, which is fun.

Because of my bottom surgery, I decided to take a gap-year after I graduated high school last year. Before my surgery, I was very insecure and closed off with my physicality. My mom has said it’s like I’ve turned into a new person after my surgery. It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I can be more of myself and be comfortable in my own skin. It’s been an incredible life changer.

What do you wish more people knew about the queer community?

I think it’s really important for people to know how important gender-affirming surgeries are for trans people. It’s not a rash decision sort-of-thing, it took five years for me to get a surgery date. It’s not as if these things can happen willy-nilly, and I think there’s a misconception that it’s really easy and accessible for trans people to get surgeries, but it’s not.

I firmly believe in educating young kids about LGBTQ+ issues because without that knowledge and information, they can form incorrect opinions. Also, educating yourself, and not expecting your queer friends to educate you, is important.