Ready? Ok!! Amy Fuentes is the first transgender cheerleader at her local high school. Amy Fuentes was originally born Henry and later took on the female physicality and called herself Amy. She told Today.com “When I found out after the tryouts in April that I made it, I cried a little bit. I was just happy and excited [to make the team]”. She originally tried out her junior year big with her ‘take no’ attitude she felt she had to try out again adding “… I just thought in my senior year it has to happen.” What started as a small goal for her, she hopes her small achievement can be an even bigger achievement for those who are choose to follow in her footsteps if that is cheerleading or just wanting to be accepted. Denair High School cheerleading coach, Robin Hilton, told Today.com that when Amy came out and told her of her past her original reaction was fear and nervousness for the girl. She didn’t know if the cheerleading squad would accept Amy for who she really was. But luckily that wasn’t the case for Amy. Her coach said “The squad has embraced her and they have neem friend forever. Now that she finally feels happy and confident, she wants others to feel the wat, too”
When Amy originally started cheerleading she started out as male and was given a male uniform. When she decided to go into her transitions to Amy she told the squad the truth she couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive as what the squad’s behavior would be like to the news. But thankfully she was wrong. She says “I was really nervous about what words to use, but the cheerleaders were super sweet, saying, ‘We’re proud of you, and we love you for who you are.” With the small community she tells the town has also been quite accepting of who Amy is. Thought she says as of now her mother, a single mother since Amy was a small child, is not quite accepting of her transition. She says “I don’t think she fully understand what it is, and I feel that maybe she is overwhelmed,” adding “She’s not very accepting at the moment.”
We hope one day your mother will understand and accept who you are. But until then your squad, community and other people around the U.S accept you for you. You go girl!