I was born in Denver, Colorado in 1980. From a young age I didn't quite fit the gender binary. 

redmond, Wa

I moved, with my family, to Redmond, WA in 1987.  I grew up in a quiet suburb, but from the first day of 2nd grade to the final day of High School I was teased, bullied and questioned about my gender identity nearly everyday. "Are you a boy or a girl?" was a common daily question. In those days there was very little positive language or media representation of transgender or gender non-conforming people. I felt that I was completely alone in this experience of "not quite fitting in".

What did give me a sense of belonging was being a member of the athletic world. Starting at the age of 8, I began playing softball and then quickly started basketball, soccer and eventually volleyball. The team atmosphere, connecting with others and the ability to simply run off my anxiety and anger was just what I needed. I also discovered the unbelievable rewards of coaching at the age of 15. I found coaching and working with kids to be my true calling.  

seattle, wa

September, 1999 I stepped onto the vast expanse of the University of Washington campus to discover that I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to dedicate the next four years of learning towards. But after taking a Philosophy 101 course I, once again, had that feeling of belonging. So for the next 4 years I studied the unanswerable questions of the universe, our society and slowly began to question one of the most prevalent quandaries of modern time - why does the gender binary exist and who does it serve?

During this time of exploration of self and society I also began to identify as gay. I came out to my parents at the age of 21. This was a monumental step in my journey towards ultimately identifying as a transgender person. It was also during this time that I discovered a brand new sport - rowing. 

I took a risk and decided to walk onto the #1 rowing team in the country - also as the shortest person on the team. After 3 months of grueling workouts I clawed my way up to the top novice boat where I shared the privilege of rowing with nationally ranked athletes from both the US and Italy. I had the opportunity to row in the PAC-10 Championship and experience some of the most exhilarating and exhausting athletic competitions of my life. But my gender identity was still being questioned constantly during this time. I was rowing on the women's team but consistently assumed to be on the men's team (and assumed to be the coxswain - the shortest member of the crew!).  I started to recognize that something drastic was going to have to change and soon. 

portland, or

May 1, 2005 I moved to Portland, Oregon, not knowing a soul in the city.  I had landed an exciting coaching position and soon after also began working in the field of social work via several after school programs. I was also ready to begin a new life using the name Kaig and using male pronouns. By 2007 I began taking testosterone to achieve the much needed masculine traits I had been dreaming about since a teenager. In 2008 I traveled to Baltimore, MD with my parents to have surgery to remove my breasts. It was not long after returning from this surgery that I began to share my personal experiences of transitioning and growing up as a gender non-conforming youth through workshops, trainings and public speaking engagements. I discovered, yet again, another place I belonged - up on stage! 

I have shared this story with hundreds of people over the past decade in addition to helping many understand the complexities and challenges.  But on May 1, 2017 I decided to take a bold step and come out to a group of kids I coach at Portland Community Football Club.

Within days of this video being posted to the club's Facebook page it was making headlines in the HuffPost, NBC.com and making it's way around the world. The video received over 100,000 views in less than a month on YouTube. You can read more of these articles on my Coming Out page.

I never intended for this video to circle the globe, but as soon as the media attention began flowing in I saw it as an opportunity to be a spokesperson for the visibility of transgender people. It also further motivated me to launch Quantum Gender Consulting.