Aeris Houlihan is a British transgender woman, football player, musician and video blogger who documented her transition on YouTube. Born in Dublin, she moved to England at the age of around three and spent the rest of her childhood there. Outgoing and sociable, Aeris has always enjoyed keeping fit, experimenting with fashion and makeup, producing music and working with video special effects. Like many transgender women, Aeris knew from a very young age that something about the gender expected of her did not feel right. For years, however, she tried to suppress those feelings, believing she could somehow control them, only to find that doing so brought unhappiness and internal suffering. Eventually, she decided that living authentically was more important than continuing to hide a part of herself. One of Aeris's greatest fears when coming out was the possibility of hurting or losing her family. Fortunately, she also experienced considerable support in another important part of her life: her workplace. Working in a large office with hundreds of people, she remembers the anxiety of arriving for her first day as herself, only to discover that, after the initial period of adjustment, her transition gradually became simply another part of everyday life.
Aeris is also passionate about visibility and believes that openly sharing transgender experiences can help replace fear and misunderstanding with knowledge. She has a particular love of fashion, describing clothes shopping as one of her favourite hobbies, and enjoys mixing high-street fashion with designer pieces. A self-described social butterfly, she moves easily between different communities and enjoys meeting new people and trying new experiences. Looking ahead, Aeris is preparing for another important milestone in her transition while also hoping to return to the live music scene and develop the songs she had been recording in her home studio. Above all, her journey is about finally being able to look in the mirror and recognise the woman she had always known was there. And with so many plans, passions and ambitions still ahead of her, I was delighted to sit down with Aeris and learn more about her remarkable journey.
