Gabrielle Diana Gladu | |
|---|---|
 Gabrielle Diana at the Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. | |
| Born | Sunday, February 28th, 1999 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Other names | Gabrielle Diana, Belle Gladu |
| Occupation(s) | Transgender activist, singer, songwriter, producer, blogger, social media personality. |
| Years active | 2013 - Present |
| Known for | Social Media, Transgender Advocacy |
| Height | 6.1 ft 0 in (186 cm) |
| Movement | Moments In Transition |
Gabrielle Diana Gladu, also known as Gabrielle Diana, is a Canadian transgender activist, musician, trans educator, and social media influencer. She is notable for creating the hashtag #momentsintransition[1], which has since become a worldwide trend for trans individuals to share significant moments in their transition. Furthermore, Gladu has gained media recognition for going viral on Buzzfeed[2], MTV[3], and for content on her YouTube[4] channel.
Early Life
editGladu was born on Sunday, February 28th, 1999, in Ottawa, Ontario. Gladu was raised in Ottawa by her parents, and attended the Catholic school system up until completion of 8th Grade. Gabrielle switched into the Public school system for High School[5], and is currently completing her 12th year of High School.
Gladu's family consists of Polish[6], French, Irish, and Scottish heritage.
Transition
editGladu is widely known for her work in the transgender community. She has been involved in helping the trans community gain recognition and visibility, as well as dedicating much of herself to documenting her transition online. Gladu has worked with The Advocate, and was named one of the 25 Trans Pioneers of 2015[7].
Gladu experienced being treated differently from a very young age due to her feminine behaviour and appearance. Gladu's mom, Rosemary, stated in a YouTube video[8] that Gabrielle had asked her about gender identity and why she was a boy instead of a girl. Gladu stated in an article for the Huffington Post that she "used to wear my mom’s dresses and makeup, and it wasn't easy in the beginning since I wasn't transitioning."[9]
Gabrielle attempted suicide on December 12th, 2012.[10] Though Gladu was not yet out as trans, the suicide attempt was related to her gender identity and confusion surrounding her female identity that she had yet to explore. In regards to her suicide attempt, Gladu said, "I was very, very confused. I knew something was different about me. I was so afraid of what people would think of me."[11]. Following her suicide attempt, Gabrielle began treatment at CHEO, and began intensive therapy by seeing social worker Richard Voss to help her develop coping mechanisms and address the issue. During the time she saw Voss, Gladu began to discover that her female identity was becoming stronger, and she started to research Transgender people and educate herself on Gender identity. Gabrielle has stated that she came out to herself on August 3rd, 2013, and had recorded a YouTube video coming out as Trans, but unfortunately never ended up posting it due to fear of rejection and hatred.[12].
Gabrielle started her first year of High School at a different school board system, and intended on starting the year identifying as male. Gladu has said that she didn't begin school, already transitioning, because she wanted to see how people would react to her as a gay boy. Gladu began changing her pronouns at school, and first asked her classmates and teachers to call her Bebe.[13] Already living as a female at school and with her family, Gladu decided to publicly come out as transgender in December 2013. Gabrielle began to see Dr. Stephen Feder[14], and Dr. Margaret Lawson[15] at the Diversity Clinic, at CHEO.
Gabrielle started to medically transition in April of 2014, by taking Lupron to block the production of Testosterone. Gabrielle then started taking Estrogen as part of HRT on March 24th, 2015. Gladu has been referred by her team at CHEO to surgeon Dr. Brassard to perform her SRS.
On September 27th, 2015, Gladu received the message that her name had been legally changed to Gabrielle Diana Gladu. Gladu uploaded a video to her twitter, which was filmed by her cousin. Gabrielle's mom surprised her with a cake that revealed that her name was legally changed.[16] Gabrielle revealed that her forename Gabrielle, was inspired by Coco Chanel, and her middle name, Diana, was an tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, who Gladu became influenced and inspired by.
Personal Life
editGabrielle identifies as a trans woman, and does not label her sexuality, as she says she doesn't "think it's important, especially after the labels put on me by society when I started transitioning."[17] Gladu was raised Roman Catholic, but has since stopped practicing the religion. Gladu is inspired by teachings and beliefs of Tibetan Buddhism.
Gladu has gained a large following on social media, and has become close friends with fellow people in the transgender community. Gabrielle has been inspired by friends including Elliot Fletcher, Ella Giselle, Amina Banks, Julie Vu, among many others.
- ^ "Instagram photo by Gabrielle Diana • Mar 29, 2016 at 11:09pm UTC". Instagram. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "Watch This Mom Surprise Her Trans Daughter With The News Her Name Change Is Legal". Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "What I Want You To Know During Transgender Awareness Week". Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "Gabrielle Diana". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ Wortham, Jenna (2016-09-08). "For Gay and Transgender Teens, Will It Get Better?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "6 Reasons Why 16-Teen-Year Old Gabrielle Gladu Gives Hope for Trans Teens". 2015-11-02. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "25 Trans Pioneers Who Took Us Past the Tipping Point in 2015". 2015-12-31. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ Gabrielle Diana (2016-07-31), Transgender Q&A With My Mom: Coming Out, Family, Guilt | Gabrielle Diana, retrieved 2016-09-10
- ^ "Ottawa Transgender Teen Shares Inspiring Before And After Photos". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "6 Reasons Why 16-Teen-Year Old Gabrielle Gladu Gives Hope for Trans Teens". 2015-11-02. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "6 Reasons Why 16-Teen-Year Old Gabrielle Gladu Gives Hope for Trans Teens". 2015-11-02. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "Instagram photo by Gabrielle Diana • Aug 3, 2016 at 4:02pm UTC". Instagram. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "Gabrielle Diana on Twitter". Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "Diversity Clinic for Children and Youth". Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "Diversity Clinic for Children and Youth". Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "Mom Surprises Trans Daughter With Cake Inscribed "Congratulations! You Are Now Gabrielle!"". Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ^ "Gabrielle Diana on Twitter". Retrieved 2016-09-10.