Editor's note: Josh Ratel-Khan is an employee at The McKinley Avenue Agency, part of the Unified Media Alliance.
For some, Instagram is a place to post their best selfies, but to four Cardinals, the social media platform has another meaning.
Two Ball State seniors and two alumni are documenting their female-to-male transitions on Instagram in order to raise awareness about transgender issues.
The account — FTMuncie, short for Four Trans Men From Muncie, IN — serves as a place for the men to encourage each other, document their personal transitions and offer tips and connect with other people in the transgender community. Each of the four reflect on topics related to their transition and share advice on how to navigate certain situations.
Daniel, a psychology major, had his own account for the transition, but he said he is only one story, one voice and one experience, so he reached out to his friends — three other trans men in Muncie.
After gaining alumni Mason McSweeney and Dakota Pierce, as well as senior public communication and political science major Josh Ratel-Khan, FTMuncie was born.
“We all talk to each other about stuff, and so I was like, ‘What if we all team up and make a thing that can be a resource but also we’re all documenting our transitions together,’” Daniel said.
“When Daniel brought up the idea of starting this Instagram, I was right on board,” McSweeney said. “Something I’ve always wanted to do is help educate and help other LGBT+ people form their identities.”
Daniel said the four don’t see each other all the time but stay connected and supportive through the account.
“We talk more often and we have sort of that unspoken bond just because we’re all going through the exact same thing at kind of the same points in our life,” Daniel said.
FTMuncie features reflections and updates on each of the four men’s transitions. Ratel-Khan said the account gives him a level of introspection and lets him engage in advocacy and education.
“I think it’s really important that I’m able to be publicly trans, because I think that representation is really important,” Ratel-Khan said. “To have a sense of advocacy where I can be like, ‘I’m trans, this is my story,’ I think really serves as almost like a motivational factor for me at some points.”
In addition to supporting each other, the four men have connected with other trans individuals from across the country. Pierce said he has found solace in the trans Instagram community and seeks comfort in it because he doesn’t have a lot of family support.
“My close friends are obviously super supportive and have been incredible throughout my journey, but there’s something about connecting with the trans community online,” Pierce said.
“To be there for other people and for other people to be there for me, it’s cool that I get to also have that opportunity with people that I live close with. Even though we don’t see each other all the time, I have brothers around me that are always gonna have my back.”
McSweeney said it was good to have friends who were going through the same thing he was at the same time.
“Obviously, [our bond is] formed around all of our identities being the same or mostly the same and starting testosterone around the same time. But even with that, it’s easier to take comfort knowing that you have people five minutes down the road that you can hit up anytime,” McSweeney said.
“If a [testosterone] shot went bad, you can text somebody and be like, ‘Dude, did you have this happen before because I’m freaking out.’ I take comfort in that for sure.”
In addition to Instagram, the group also has a Saharah account and can be reached at ftmuncie@gmail.com
Contact Michelle Kaufman with comments mekaufman@bsu.edu or on Twitter at @mkaufman85.
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