A funeral-themed birthday party at a botanical garden to celebrate coming out as Trans? DO YOU EVEN KNOW ME?! YES, PLEASE! 💀

Fin's desire to celebrate all of the versions of himself who are and will always be a part of him, really hit me at my core. Like many others, coming out wasn't an easy, linear process for Fin. For so many folks, coming out is the beginning. Like a flower, just starting to bloom🌹

"Uncovering these parts of myself and holding them up to the light means I have to love my own self and show up for me in ways that I haven’t always. I’ve been told by people close to me that I seem like I’m really attuned to my own voice now. That is how it actually feels, and that’s terrifying. I’m incredibly grateful that this experience of getting to know myself better has deepened my relationships with people close to me, and that it also brought me some absolutely beautiful new ones. I’m ready to see what the rest of my life has in store."

Fin adds "I initially intended to throw myself a tenth birthday theme this year but after I came out and changed my name, I thought something befitting a new era made more sense. My friend mentioned the idea of a funeral themed birthday to me and it seemed like the perfect way to honor the occasion. In season three of The Vampire Diaries when they throw a funeral-birthday for one of the characters who has been turned into a vampire, they say: 'You don’t need a birthday. You need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life, so you can move on with your new one.' This idea of transformation and honoring every part of my story felt essential. I was so happy to celebrate this surrounded by people who I love deeply and to be able to capture it in a way that I could hold onto."

Thank you for sharing your story and your joy, @finleary. It's been such a pleasure getting to know you and capturing the start to this new chapter in your ever-evolving life💗