
PHOTO ESSAY: A young trans woman's journey, and her latest destination: World Pride in Washington
As they get ready in their hotel room, Bella Bautista trades makeup tips with the roommate she has just met.
Bautista, her cheekbones high and her confidence glowing, asks her roommate to curl her highlighted hair in the back. Jae Douglas obliges cheerfully.
Bautista, 22, is a college cheerleader turned pageant contestant. Last month, she competed in the Miss Supranational USA pageant in Miami, representing Tennessee. She hails from Cartersville, a small Georgia town north of Atlanta. She works as a social media intern for the Global Trans Equity Project.
She has come to Washington, D.C., to attend World Pride activities in the wake of the Trump administration's policies legislating against gender-affirming care and its rhetoric against transgender girls in sports. During a speech she delivers to the trans community she announces what could be the anthem for her audience: 'I'm not asking for permission to be who I am, I am who I am.'
Bautista says she is the first and only transgender woman to compete in the Miss Supranational pageant. It is part of a lengthier process of embracing her identity — both within herself and to the world.
Marching in an impending rain with a hundred others from the National Trans Visibility March, en route to the Lincoln Memorial to join the World Pride rally, Bella reflected, 'I'm not fighting for myself anymore. I'm fighting for a larger cause alongside other people, which is good for a change. You know, being the only transgender person from my small town, it's different to be in the capital of the USA. But so many people that are also fighting alongside with me are here, and have that same struggle.'
'In previous years, I felt more compelled to live my life stealth,' Bautista says. 'But with everything going on with the current administration, I felt the need to give an actual face to the issue.'
And so she has come to World Pride, determined to be present and to fly the flag of who she is.
Coming out was a process
When Bautista transitioned during her senior year of high school in 2020, there were many pro-Trump demonstrations by students at her school during school hours. So she started a 'diversity club' to create a safe place for LGBTQ+ students and students of color.
'I came out to my mom when I was 13, and I asked her, 'Am I a girl?′ She said she didn't know — 'That's something we need to look into.' I didn't know what being trans meant or anything like that. I've always been flexible with my gender and sexuality.'
Puberty was an upsetting time for her, before she was able to access gender-affirming care. 'Having male hormones in my body gave me a lot of anxiety, dysphoria. And I felt that testosterone was going to destroy my body,' she says. With her family's assent, she ordered hormones online and medically transitioned at 17, during her senior year.
As a gamer, she chose the name 'Bella' online. It stuck.
'When I went to college I chose that name and told people, 'Hi, I am Bella, I'm a woman.' And I was stealth. No one on campus knew I was trans at the start. I just really wanted to live a normal college life, be a normal college girl.'
But things changed during her second year at college. She awakened to all the 'harmful stereotypes' — and realized she could use them to help others.
'People would say that I don't look trans, I don't sound trans, so for me to be openly trans, it gives people more perspective,' she says. 'I'm a normal college girl. I'm a cheerleader. This is what I look and sound like. It really resonates with both political parties.'
This past winter, she decided to testify at the Georgia State Capitol about her experience as a young trans woman athlete. It was illuminating for her.
'I had to speak in front of Republican members and I would run into them in the hallways or the elevators, or outside the bathroom, and they'd say, 'Oh, you're testifying against my bill but you're amazing, I loved your speech. Politicians politicize trans rights to gain votes. A big part of my platform is saying that my trans identify is not a political agenda for either side.'
She later began an organization called 'This Does Not Define Me,' referring to her experiences with PTSD, a speech impediment, being Mexican American and fighting trans stereotypes. The organization is about visibility — and a sense that the challenges faced by people, especially within the trans community, shouldn't define them.
'I hope that as more people meet me I put them at ease,' she says, 'and I get more empathy for the trans community. As people have more interactions with trans people they'll realize we are just normal people, with dreams, and this just happens to be my story.'
She dreams about the future, but is right here in the now
Bautista's own journey has defined her in many ways, though, including her professional aspirations. She hopes to become a civil rights attorney, to stand up for marginalized people, and someday to run for public office in Georgia.
That's later, though. Now, in a climate that doesn't always accept people like her, there is power in just being who she is.
'I think the most powerful thing that I can do right now as a young trans woman is to educate the populace that this is my experience and that I am so much more than just being trans.'
Back at the hotel, ahead of attending a conference for the National Trans Visibility March, Bautista has Douglas take a video of her striding through the lobby in a gold gown. It's for her Instagram feed. A family with two young children stops her. 'Are you a model? Where may we have seen you before?' Bella smiles demurely and says, 'Oh, I'm a pageant girl.'
She turns to a visitor. 'I get that a lot,' she says.
Coming to World Pride from a hometown where she's the only trans person is raising some questions for Bautista. Is allyship enough? Are gay members of the community fully backing trans rights? 'It really feels like it's LGB and then T,' she says. 'We are going through so much. I am hoping these people waving the gay flag are also considering what we are going through at this time.'
Add onto that her identity as a Mexican woman and — with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown on many fronts — there is still more she wants to advocate. So much more to do.
Bella Bautista was silent for a while. No longer.
'It feels good to represent … something bigger and to be proud of that,' she says.
'I kind of want to be like, 'I'm here,' you know?' she says. 'I'm just a normal college girl, I'm a cheerleader, I do pageants, and I happen to be trans, but that does not define my ability to succeed. Being trans is part of who I am, but I still deserve access to those dreams.'
___
This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
___
Jacquelyn Martin is an Associated Press photographer based in Washington.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
39 minutes ago
- The Independent
Musk's AI chatbot criticises JD Vance over Les Misérables joke
Vice President JD Vance faced online criticism for a Sweeney Todd joke before attending a Les Misérables performance with President Trump and other MAGA loyalists in Washington, D.C. Critics noted the irony of Vance and Trump attending Les Misérables, a play about social justice, amidst widespread protests against their administration. Elon Musk's Grok chatbot described Vance's joke as "tone-deaf," pointing out the contrast between the musical's themes and the LA protests against immigration policies Vance supports. Grok explained that while Vance's attendance might seem hypocritical, personal outings don't necessarily reflect policy stances, and the timing may be coincidental. Trump's appearance at the Kennedy Center was met with mixed reactions, including boos and chants, while over 400 people have been arrested in LA during the protests.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Supreme Court revives lawsuit from Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI
An Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI will get a new day in court, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday. The opinion comes after a predawn 2017 raid in which an armed FBI SWAT team smashed in a front door and set off a flashbang grenade, pointing guns at a couple and terrifying a 7-year-old boy before realizing they were in the wrong house. The FBI team quickly apologized and left for the right place, with the team leader later saying that his personal GPS device had led him to the wrong address. The couple, Trina Martin and Toi Cliatt, filed a lawsuit against the federal government accusing the agents of assault and battery, false arrest and other violations. But lower courts tossed out the case. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found they couldn't sue over what amounted to an honest mistake. The appeals court also found the lawsuit was barred under a provision of the Constitution known as the Supremacy Clause, which says federal laws take precedence over state laws. The family's lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that Congress clearly allowed for lawsuits like theirs after a pair of similar headline-making raids on wrong houses in 1974. The 11th Circuit was also ruling differently than other courts around the country, they said. Public interest groups from across the political spectrum urged the justices to overturn the ruling, saying its reasoning would severely narrow the legal path for people to sue the federal government in law-enforcement accountability cases. ___


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
JD Vance roasted over ‘tone deaf' Sweeney Todd joke prior to attending Les Misérables
Vice President JD Vance has been skewered online for making a Sweeney Todd joke prior to attending a Les Misérables performance in Washington, DC on Wednesday night. Vance joined his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and host of other MAGA loyalists for the event at the Kennedy Center. Prior to the show, many had already alluded to the irony of Trump and Vance choosing to attend Les Misérables as protests against their administration began to spread nationwide. In a series of tweets, Vance, a Yale graduate, made it clear that he didn't know what the epic play was about. 'About to see Les Misérables with POTUS at the Kennedy Center. 'Me to Usha: so what's this about? A barber who kills people? 'Usha; [hysterical laughter].' 'That's apparently a different thing called 'Sweeney Todd,'' Vance wrote in a subsequent tweet. The plot of Les Misérables explores issues of social justice, love, and resilience, amidst the backdrop of poverty-stricken France in the early 19th century. Primarily, it follows the lives and interactions of several oppressed characters, including ex-convict Jean Valjean, which ultimately culminates in the June 1832 Rebellion – an anti-monarchist insurrection of Parisian republicans. 'It should be illegal to be his incredibly cringeworthy,' the X account DSA Orange County said. 'I'm sorry, the only people who would pretend to confuse Sweeney Todd for Les Mis are people who are super into musicals and uncomfortable admitting it,' said Sonny Bunch. 'Oh for gods sake you went to YALE, give it a rest,' said Sam Biederman. 'You can drop the 'I'm still an Appalachian hillbilly' thing. It's not a bad thing that you've moved beyond your rustic upbringing,' Steven Walk added. Even Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok described Vance's joke as 'tone deaf.' One X user asked AI chatbot Grok to 'compare the irony of seeing this post considering what's happening in LA,' to which Grok delivered a pithy response. 'The irony lies in JD Vance attending Les Misérables, a story of social injustice and rebellion, while LA protests against immigration policies he supports escalate, with curfews and federal forces deployed,' said Grok. 'The musical's themes mirror protesters' grievances, making his attendance seem tone-deaf. The chatbot continued to state, 'However, personal cultural outings don't inherently reflect policy stances, and the timing may not align with the protests' peak. Public perception varies, with some seeing hypocrisy, others a valid personal act.' Another X user then probed Grok to explain the mistaken irony by Vance. 'Vance's attendance seems personal, not a political statement. His post, mistaking the musical's plot, suggests he didn't connect it to protests,' he wrote. Trump was greeted with a mixed response in his first appearance at the prestigious arts venue since he fired its leadership, with boos and chants of chants of 'USA! USA!' being heard in the audience. More than 400 people have been arrested in LA alone since protests erupted Friday, including 330 undocumented migrants and 157 individuals facing charges of assault or obstruction.