Yaya Mavundla said being transgender is not easy, especially when it comes to identification.
One might identify as a woman but have to deal with being referred to as male (or vice versa), which is the gender they were assigned from birth.
For the longest time, trans rights activist Yaya Mavundla had to deal with this issue, but now there’s a lot to celebrate as she has just received an SA ID which classifies her as female.
She took to social media to celebrate.
Yaya spoke exclusively to Briefly News about how she feels and just how hard it is to transition in the South African landscape. There are a few people who might want to transition in South Africa and Yaya says that you need to be sure of what you’re doing.
“You need to be ready emotionally and mentally. Do the research and reach out to other transgender people who are transitioning,” said Yaya.
The activist also spoke about how you need people in your corner when you decide to make the change. It’s not something that you can do alone.
“I’ve learnt that you need support from family and friends, you can’t transition alone. Also, it’s not an easy journey, and it’s financially draining,” she told Briefly News.
One can either go the private or public route when making this decision, but Yaya says that it’s time-consuming to go the public way. It can take a very long to just receive hormones, let alone surgery.
It was really important for Yaya to get her ID. She feels that sometimes transgender people are forced to refer to themselves as the gender they were assigned at birth.
For her, getting her ID makes her feel like she can be herself. “It’s very important because transgender people are constantly forced and subjected to pitch at work as how their ID identifies them as.
This then becomes difficult if their ID identifies them as the person they are not,” said Yaya.
News previously reported that transgender activist Yaya Mavundla secured the bag and will star in a brand-new TV show called Becoming.
The 32-year-old is known for her activism work through transgender visibility and as a Mzansi Queer Festival organizer.
She will be inviting viewers into her home to zoom into her transitioning journey.
Yaya will open up more than her home on the show and will let Mzansi experience some deeply personal moments, including the search for her mother, who she never got the opportunity to meet, and she will open up about the dynamics of dating as a transgender woman.