At the age of 18, one woman found that she was not comfortable in the body she was born in and began the journey of transitioning to male.
Now, after spending six years completing the process, Alia Ismail, 27, from Michigan, is de-transitioning back to female after realising that her new identity did not represent who she was.
Alia began to use male pronouns and dress more masculine at 18, undergoing a medical transition at the age of 20, and taking hormones to increase testosterone.
The 27-year-old legally changed her name to Issa in August 2015 and underwent a double mastectomy in February 2016.
But after realizing she wanted to de-transition, the 27-year-old stopped taking male hormones in February 2021 and is going by the name Alia again.
Alia said: ‘When I first came out as gay it was quite easy with my family. As far as transitioning, my grandparents were very accepting but lacked understanding, and my mother came to understand my feelings better as my transition continued.’
The 27-year-old says that she does not regret her decision to have surgery or taking hormones.