Many people in the transgender community say they feel under attack After President Trump signed executive orders banning transgender men and women from serving in the military and forcing them to identify by what's listed on their birth certificate.
One Fort Myers transgender woman says she feels as though the federal government is trying to erase their very existence.
Jenna Satterfield has mad models for years. Dozens of them line shelves in her living room.
Her favorite is entitled "Calm Before the Storm," which depicts the start of World War II.
She says it’s her way of dealing with scars she’s received over the years.
“I've been through the bad all days. I may not have visible scars from it, but the scars are here,” as she points to her head and describes how they still hurt.
Satterfield recalls how her torture began.
“I put on a dress and bloody world ended,” she said.
That's because her original birth certificate listed her as male.
“I was born female! Period,” Satterfield said.
However, it was something her family couldn't accept.
“My cousin in West Virginia actually held me down on their front porch and clipped my fingernails because he thought they were too long,” Satterfield said.
She felt exiled from her entire family including her mother and then Satterfield revealed her darkest moment — feeling suicidal. She shared that the only thing that pulled her out of that mindset was feeling like taking her life would be letting people refuse to see reason win.
“They want you eliminated,” Satterfield said referring to Trump’s executive orders.
Fearing the worst, Satterfield petitioned New Jersey several years ago to change her birth certificate to state she is a female. It allowed her to change all of her legal documents.
It means she won't be directly impacted by Trump's executive order requiring people to identify as their birth sex and at 70 years old being barred from serving in the military won’t impact her either but she points out many people younger than her will be impacted and face many of the struggles Satterfield faced over her lifetime.
“That hurts,” she said as she fought back tears.
Dr. Laura Streyffeler who counsels many people in the LGBTQ community pointed out the government nor anyone can change who somebody is by instituting rules, laws or executive orders.
“It affects self-esteem. It also creates fear. It's not safe to be who I am,” Streyffeler noted.
She offered advice to any transgender person who feels they're being attacked or singled out.
“Create a safety plan both physical, emotional mental so they can feel as secure as they can feel,” Streyffeler said.
LGBTQ groups across the country have said they plan to challenge Trump's executive orders where they can and ultimately leave it up to the courts to decide whether the executive orders are even legal.