Alex Showerman had a secret. Growing up in Thetford Center, Alex competed on boy’s teams in cross-country, running and hockey. But Alex was actually running from who she was. Like more than half of transgender or nonbinary youth, she considered suicide rather than reveal her secret.

Showerman went on to graduate from St. Lawrence University and work in progressive politics. In her free time, she threw herself into mountain biking and backcountry snowboarding. She numbed the pain of hiding from her true identity by drinking.

Then, in 2019, she broke her neck in a mountain biking accident and was forced to stop running.

Last fall, at the age of 32, Showerman came out as a transgender woman. She feared that she would lose her job doing public relations for outdoor brands and be ostracized by the outdoor sports community.

Showerman has good reason to be concerned: As part of a Republican-led backlash against transgender rights, 125 anti-trans bills have been introduced in more than half the states in the country.

To Showerman’s surprise, she has been hailed as a role model and symbol for inclusion. She has been profiled in Bicycling Magazine and is the subject of a recent Outside Magazine podcast.

“Trans women are women from day one,” Showerman said. “I’m not gonna stop fighting anytime soon. I’m gonna keep on being visible, and I’m gonna keep on showing other trans folks that there is space for you and you can thrive here and make sure that nobody has to go through what I went through.”

Showerman has some advice for trans kids: “Celebrate yourself. You’re awesome.”

Showerman also has advice for parents of children who are questioning their gender identity: “Trust your kid. Love them. Give them a hug,” she said. “Let them be who they want to be.”