SDPIX’s July covergirl is a beacon of beauty and inspiration

Siddiq Wahab is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. As a transgender female she has experienced a lot of the world’s meanness and prejudice.

But Siddiq says she is much more than what people perceive her to be and there are some sacred beliefs that have guided her along the way.

“I've always felt and perceived myself as a girl,” she said. “And have always just been myself so I never felt like I transitioned into anything other than becoming an adult. I also never knew that transitioning was even something that could be physically done.”

The hot weather and tropical climates of Trinidad and Tobago islands makes for an exquisite paradise. But local government and laws prohibit Siddiq from changing gender legally. At 19 Siddiq left her friends and family and headed 4,000 miles northwest and landed in the milder climate of California.

Her interest in fashion inspired her to enroll in Fashion Design College, and three years later she began hormone therapy. But Siddiq doesn’t look at the treatments as transitioning, “Although the world sees it as a part a transition from male to female, I see it as just a girl taking her vitamins... but of course it has brought physical changes and I’m very grateful,” she said.

Siddiq’s family has always known her as being extremely feminine. When she told them that she would be transitioning they weren’t too surprised. Her mother still needs a little help remembering which pronouns to use Siddiq says, but she is still respectful and amazingly supportive.

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