Australia’s first transgender model Gemma Cowling tells of her struggle to come out at school

GEMMA Cowling never felt comfortable coming out as transgender at school, and says it ruined her mental health and her chances of completing her SACE.

• EDUCATION REFORM DEBATE: Every child deserves safe, quality schooling
• EDUCATION REFORM DEBATE: most children outgrow transgender phase
• Adelaide teenager Gemma Cowling becomes a transgender trailblazer

GEMMA Cowling never felt comfortable coming out as transgender at school, and says it ruined her mental health and her chances of completing her SACE.

The first Australian-born transgender model, 19, attended two private colleges.

“I actually transitioned the moment I left school,” she said.

“It was because of the concerns and worries I had about not feeling like school was an inclusive place and not feeling I could express myself.

“I learnt over the years that it was a gendered place. I avoided doing it there for that exact reason.”

Gemma, who made her catwalk debut earlier this year and has since moved to Sydney for modelling opportunities, says the stress of her situation had “put a roadblock” on her studies, and led to her failing Year 12 in 2015.

“For me it had a huge effect. I got to a point where my mental health was so bad I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning,” she said.

“It wasn’t introduced to me at school, the idea that being trans was a thing, let alone a good thing. There’s no doubt in my mind things would have turned out differently in terms of my mental health and overall happiness (if I had felt able to transition at school).”

Gemma said she was pleased the Education Department had produced an explicit procedure for public schools to follow to support transgender and intersex students.

“So long as it was built under the eye of transgender people then it’s an amazing step and will lift a very big burden off a lot of students,” she said.

One of her former schools had since become more supportive of transgender students, through measures such as putting sanitary disposal units in boys’ bathrooms.

While she still faced “prejudice and discomfort”, she was happy with her modelling career and had “made peace” with the fact she did not obtain her SACE. Gemma was inspired by her idol Australian supermodel Gemma Ward when choosing her new name.

“Whether I ... knew it or not, I always have been Gemma,” she told The Advertiser in June.