Draven Bennington, the child of late Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, is sharing her journey to coming out as transgender. In a heartfelt TikTok post, she described years of inner conflict starting at an early age and the challenges of growing up in an environment that forced her to hide her feelings.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve had these feelings. I used to lie awake at night wishing that in the morning I would wake up as a girl,” Draven wrote. “Back when I was little, though this wasn’t even a topic of conversation, I just thought I was different. I just knew that these feelings had to be wrong and that I couldn’t share them with anyone.
“For whatever reason, I had so much inner toxic masculinity instilled in me that when I broke my collarbone in 2nd grade, I didn’t even cry. So there was a lot of pressure to be a ‘man.’ I didn’t know that trans people existed until middle school. By then, I was hanging out with teenage boys, and you can imagine the things I’ve heard people say over the years.”
She continued, explaining the toll this all took on her mental health:
“When I did finally figure it out, I denied it. Shoved it down by saying ‘there’s no chance I could be trans, that can’t be me.’ The first person I came out to was my cousin, and I was 14 years old. Immediately, I took it back, saying I was just joking around. I then pretended to be a boy for 8 more years, growing out my beard and trying to present as masculine as possible.
“For the longest time, it made me the most depressed and anxious person. I would also just get so frustrated and angry to the point it was unhealthy. I hated myself and anything that involved me. It got so bad at times that I would self-harm to dull the pain. Physical pain was easier to focus on than emotional.”
Draven went on to detail her decision to transition and how it saved her life.
“I couldn’t take it anymore and had to make a change. I took the risk of losing all of my friends and family and career, but I still decided to make an appointment and go alone. On August 15th, 2024, I took my first dose of HRT, and I swear it saved my life. Over the first month, I started to notice changes and slowly realized I couldn’t hide it anymore.”
“As I grow older, I realize that I shouldn’t be scared of this platform I have, but embrace it so I can help others,” she concluded her statement. “If my story makes one other person feel less alone, then I did my job. Love is Love, be yourself and shine brightly.”
