Arielle Keil was born in Davao City, Philippines, to a traditional, conservative Filipino family before moving to New Zealand, where she spent most of her childhood. The 26-year-old started transitioning in 2017; however, things became tough as her family didn’t take the news of her becoming a woman well.
“Coming out as a gay man was nowhere near as terrifying as coming out as a transgender woman,” she told Metro.
“Your whole life changes and so does the way people will see you forever.”
Arielle continued:
“I knew that being openly transgender meant that a lot of the world is going to think I’m some sick freak of nature but I always think of this when making decisions – when I’m 70 and on my deathbed, is this something I’m going to regret doing or not doing?
The answer was crystal clear. I’d already spent the formative years of my life as the wrong gender, I didn’t want to waste my twenties in the wrong body either.
This way of thinking really helped me come out to my parents because I knew that whatever their reaction was, this was something I needed to do for myself.”
At first, Arielle’s family disowned her and kicked her out when she revealed that she was trans, but she noted that after some time, she found a “silver lining” as her dad now fully embraces her as his daughter.
“I can see on his face that he is proud of me, like genuinely proud of me,” she said.
Plus, Arielle recently made national and international history, becoming the first Filipino and trans woman crowned Miss Intercontinental New Zealand.
“The pageant was an amazing experience. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for the longest time so to actually live out my dream has been amazing,’ she said.
I would say to any Filipinos going on a similar journey to stay true to themselves always. Don’t ever let people’s opinions dilute your soul as a person. You only have one life, live it on your terms!
Since then, the fashion design student has been flooded with online support, after sharing a photo of what she looks like now, next to her pre-transition picture as part of the social media trend showing everyone ‘how it started vs. how it’s going.’
It’s clear that Arielle is living life on her terms and making the most out of it.
Below you can watch a video showing Arielle’s journey through the pageant and her being crowned Ms. Intercontenentail New Zealand.