Paloma is a second-generation Mexican-American transgender woman. She was born in the Bay Area and was raised by her single mother. From an early age, Paloma had a connection to femininity that was not accepted by her religious family. 

“I was flamboyant,” she told Latino USA. “I would wear my mom’s heels. I would put on makeup. I would always want to be in flouncy skirts because that’s how I felt the happiest.” But despite the friction, Paloma and her mother loved and supported each other.

At eighteen years old, Paloma moved to New York City to attend Columbia University on a full scholarship. There, she attended Maria Hinojosa’s class at Barnard College.

At Maria’s class, Paloma was using they/them pronouns and responding to her deadname—the name a transgender or non-binary person uses before they transition. She sat at the back of the class, shy and downcast, and barely spoke a word. 

Years later, after Paloma graduated, Maria started seeing her social media posts as an outgoing and beautiful drag performer. Pleasantly surprised and a little shocked, Maria had to know how her quiet former student unleashed the confidence and strong presence of a drag queen, so —along with producer Glorimar Marquez— she went to see Paloma perform in a Manhattan restaurant.

It turns out that Paloma had been doing drag for years, and the art form gave her the opportunity to express her feminine self openly for the very first time. With this freedom, Paloma understood she needed to go a step further. 

In this episode, we follow Paloma in her transition journey to become her true self as she undergoes Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT). She tells us the changes she has experienced physically, emotionally and socially, and we learn how this transition has changed her relationship with her mother and herself.

Episode art by Paloma Perez and Glorimar Marquez.

This episode was produced by Glorimar Márquez and edited by Marta Martinez. It was mixed by Mark Yoshiumi.