COLUMBUS, Ohio — Elijah Crafter always knew he was different.
What You Need To Know
- Elijah Crafter came out to his peers his junior year of high school
- Crafter was part of Nationwide Children’s Hospital THRIVE program
- According to the Trevor Project 45% of LGBTQ+ youth have considered attempting suicide within the past year
- The same study showed that LGBTQ+ youth that were gender affirmed by their school showed lower rates of suicide
- Crafter now works to council LGBTQ+ youth with National Youth Advocate Program
When Crafter was a junior in high school, he decided to speak his truth.
“I struggled so much throughout my transition, mentally that I could not fathom somebody going through the same kind of transition without support,” said Crafter.
Crafter was one of the first trans students in Nationwide Children’s Hospitals THRIVE Programs, which specialize in care for differences of sexual development (DSD) and gender development.
In the program, he worked with doctors and psychologists to help him transition. He went through the process of presenting male to his teachers and peers before formally coming out in 2014.
He said it was a moment he’d never forget.
“I just stood up and told them what to expect, my voice would be changing, how I would be dressing and what I would like to be called. And in almost every class they clapped in response,” said Crafter.
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Coming out was just one part of the process and his journey would be far from over.
According to the Trevor Project, 45% of LGBTQ+ youth have considered attempting suicide.
“There are small things that can add up throughout the day that could cause breakdowns at the end, that could cause that one breakdown to cause someone to end their life,” said Crafter.
Those small stressors can be anything from using the restroom to ensuring your teacher calls out the right name for attendance.
With the support of Crafter’s family, friends and teachers, he was able to focus on school. He went to college and studied psychology with the hope of helping students just like him.
Dr. Susan Albers said that having school support is vital in a student’s life trajectory.
“When school is a safe haven there are lower incidents of dropping out,” said Albers. “Students have higher self esteem, their mental health is better and supported, so school plays a really pivotal role in students’ mental health.”
Crafter said while being trans hasn’t been a walk in the park, his support system has kept him going.
“Along with my artwork and art class, having that support, giving me the ability to have a fulfilling life has opened up so much of my creativity, it has allowed me to be myself, learn about myself and develop things that make me happy,” said Crafter.
Crafter works as a counselor with the National Youth Advocate Program. In this role, he is able to pay it forward by counseling and advocating for trans youth in his community.
