How ‘Will & Harper’ Inspires Understanding: Teen Activist Rebekah Bruesehoff Says ‘Transgender People and Those That Love Them Are Scared’

variety.com:

Rebekah Bruesehoff On the surface, Harper Steele and I are very different. I love musical theater and bubble tea; she loves dive bars and stock car racing.

She grew up in Iowa, while I’ve lived my whole life in New Jersey. I transitioned as a young person with my parents as my biggest supporters, while Harper came out at 61 navigating this journey as an adult without a guide.

Yet we have two very important things in common: we are both deeply loved, and we both simply want to live our lives. In 2017, I went viral as a ten-year-old little girl in a neon pink coat, magenta hair braided into pigtails, holding a thick poster board that read, “I’m the scary transgender person the media warned you about.” I spoke to a crowd of 200 in the streets of Jersey City that day in response to the federal administration rescinding the guidance for transgender students in schools.

Fueled by the stories of other speakers I heard that day – stories of people who were rejected from their homes, churches, and communities, stories of hate, abuse, and neglect – I started to say yes.