Courtney Penniman of Phoenix identifies as a transgender male after transitioning from female to male February 17, 2012. The process of transitioning is long and complicated, and the decision to transition was not taken lightly. Transsexuals struggle with gender dysphoria beginning in childhood when confusion over how they understand themselves and their gender conflicts with how they are treated expected to act. Our society is, however, very harsh on gender-variant people. Some transgender people have lost their families, their jobs, their homes and their support. Transgender children may be subject to abuse at home, at school or in their communities. A lifetime of this can be very challenging and can sometimes cause anxiety disorders, depression and other psychological illnesses. These are not the root of their transgender identity; rather, they are the side effects of society’s intolerance of transgender people.