Mateo was first photographed in July of 2020 as part of the Pride series. He has experienced many changes since that portrait was captured—Mateo reflected on his journey to transition while navigating being newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
“I don't know any other Type 1 diabetics that are also trans,” Mateo said. “I'm sure they exist, but I've never met anybody. I was in a very specific situation where I needed to find a doctor that was willing to deal with all of this. I went to the Akron Pride Clinic. They were super understanding and helpful. There was a bit of figuring out how much T I should take. My doctor walked me through the steps of what to expect. It was a lot of hormones, insulin is also a hormone. My body was rapidly changing. I had lost a lot of weight because I had undiagnosed diabetes. Testosterone can make you gain muscle mass, so I was gaining my regular weight back and also gaining muscle mass. I kind of blew up for a second there, which is completely fine, but it was just a lot.”
During the majority of the pandemic and his transition, Mateo was a public facing service worker at 3 restaurants. He said that due to needing to wear a mask and having a deeper voice from the testosterone, he felt more confident at work. Family interactions, however, were challenging.
“Because it was the pandemic, I wasn’t seeing my family often,” he said. I would go months without seeing my mom and then when I would see her she would say things like, “You look completely different.” That was kind of hard for me. I’m a momma’s boy, I’ll always be a momma’s boy. I would never not talk to her. My family could be more supportive. They’re not actively telling me to stop what I’m doing, but they’re also not acknowledging my transition.” Mateo expressed further that his family often dead names him and rarely use his preferred pronouns.
Being in a long term relationship during a transition was helpful for Mateo. His then partner, Hannah, was Mateo’s support system in the early stages of testosterone therapy. “She helped me understand who I was in ways that I couldn’t verbalize. I appreciated her being there during that time. I don’t know what the timeline of events would have been if she wasn’t there to encourage me, especially considering the way my family is. There are certain friends that voiced similar things as my family that gave me pushback when I was a teenager. I didn’t have the proper language for things back then. Teens now have the language to understand all of this.”
In 2024 Mateo started a job as a traveling chef for a large company which allows him to travel out of town, interacting with the public. “I have my own chef’s coat that says Mateo on it. People call me “sir”, its really cool,” he said. “I also have a lot more job security, which is nice. I’ve been doing more freelance cooking for people and I’m looking into getting my LLC.”
“I wouldn’t say there is some sort of an end goal as far as transitioning goes, but looking back to where I was four years ago and where I am now, I’m so much happier. It wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were many ups and downs. I appreciate my past for what it was, but I’m happy to be where I am now. Everything that I’ve had to go through, I would do it eight times over again if it meant that I could be here today.”