A man who has held on to his childhood sweetheart after coming out as a transgender man and proposing a month later – with the couple who are now “happier than ever”.
Elvis Smith, 23, of Pennsylvania, was “terrified” his partner Ryan Smith, 24, would break up with him after coming out as a non-binary trans man in June 2019 after five years of dating.
The two met in August 2012 when they were just 12 years old and Elvis “was identified as female with the name Elorah.”
Throughout his school years, Elvis continued to be uncomfortable with his body and thought he might be transgender.
When he came out as trans, his partner accepted the news and proposed later that month on a beach in Outer Banks, North Carolina before the couple eloped in June 2021.
Elvis Smith (right), 23, of Pennsylvania, USA, was “terrified” his partner Ryan Smith (left), 24, would break up with him after coming out as a non-binary trans man
They both met in August 2012 when they were just 12 years old and Elvis (right) was “identified with the name Elorah as female”.
Throughout his school days, Elvis (left) continued to be uncomfortable with his body and thought he might be transgender
Elvis began the physical transition in March 2012 by cutting his hair short, bandaging his chest and packing daily and beginning to style himself differently.
Due to his autoimmune disease, he does not take hormone treatments, but hopes to start taking them soon and have a top surgery.
The artist credited Ryan with being his “rock” and thanked him for the “unconditional love” he gave.
Elvis said: “I was afraid Ryan would break up with me when I told him I was non-binary and transgender, but he supported me straight away.
“The whole time we said to each other, ‘If you didn’t sign up, it’s fine to go.’ But Ryan is with me.
Coming out as a trans man, Ryan (right) accepted the news and proposed later that month on a beach in Outer Banks, North Carolina, before the couple eloped in June 2021
Elvis (left) began the physical transition in March 2012, cutting his hair short, tying and packing daily, and beginning to style himself differently
“We had a lot of tearful conversations because I know he once had an expectation of a bride in a dress, but he was so on board.
“He helped me choose new clothes and picked me a new name.
Ryan, a nurse, said: “It was difficult at times. But we’ll get through it. We’ve always talked about having kids and when Elvis came out it got a little more confusing as to what that would look like.
“At first it was difficult for me to get used to the difference in style and appearance.
Due to his autoimmune disease, Elvis (left, pre-transition) does not take hormone treatment, but hopes to start taking it soon and have a top surgery
Elvis (left, before transition) credited Ryan for being his “rock” and thanked him for the “unconditional love” he gave
“I’ve always considered myself straight and worried that I wouldn’t be attracted to someone who looked and dressed like a man.
“But Elvis is so much happier now and more himself, so that’s actually more attractive.”
Elvis had a crush on Ryan from the moment he met him in August 2011.
“We were in the same class together and I used to tease him,” Elvis said.
“I think it was obvious to everyone but Ryan that I liked him.”
All this time they said to each other, “If you haven’t signed up for this, you can go. But Ryan stood by him (Pictured: Elvis before transition as a young child)
Elvis reached 19 when he began to have some realizations about his identity (Pictured: Elvis before transition as a young child on a swing)
The two considered themselves friends and began dating after becoming closer in September 2015.
But when Elvis turned 19, he began to gain some insight into his identity.
“I saw people on social media talking about the transition and I was like, ‘I wish I was trans.’ Then I realized that’s not something that someone who isn’t transgender thinks.
“It made sense why I’ve always wanted to dress like a tomboy and get along better with men. Growing up, I always wore baggy jeans and dinosaur t-shirts.”
Elvis was afraid to tell Ryan if it meant the end of their relationship, but bit the bullet in June 2019.
Elvis (pictured right, before the transition) was afraid to tell Ryan if it meant the end of their relationship, but he bit the bullet in June 2019.
Elvis, pictured, now ties and packs every day, enforcing interchangeable he/him and she/she pronouns
“I wasn’t exactly sure what being transgender meant to me at the time, but I told him I was a non-binary transgender man,” he said.
“It was a very superficial conversation at first, but Ryan immediately supported me.”
“We had many tearful conversations and I made sure he was definitely on board before we got married,” Elvis said.
“He never signed on for a husband and we talked a lot about the future physical changes I wanted to make. But every time he was just supportive.’
Elvis now ties and packs every day, enforcing interchangeable he/him and she/she pronouns.
“We sometimes struggle with outside opinions about us, but we have unconditional love for each other,” Elvis said.
“I’ve been on a huge journey of self-love and Ryan was a big part of it. We can’t wait to have children together, but we don’t yet know what that will look like for us.
“We’ve talked about being a seahorse father, surrogacy and adoption and it’s my dream to foster one day.
“When Ryan and I first started dating, I’m not sure if that’s what he expected, but we had to adjust our expectations and we found that relationship still works for us.”