Molly Holtzinger

When President Barack Obama repealed the United States military’s long held Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy in 2011, it seemed like the dawning of a new day for LGBTQ members of the armed services.

"I knew I was transgender even when I was a kid: I just didn’t have the language. It took many years, and a lot of googling, to figure it out. I grew up in Coney Island, and I was pretty lonely when I was young. I spent some time in military school. I was homeless for a few months after my dad kicked me out of the house. That’s when I joined the navy, in 1999. People knew about me, and there were bullies. I just had to deny it. It was really hard to live a false life.

Weeks later, I will come across a photo from the shoot that day where Sidibe is standing tall, arms outstretched, as if she's ready to take in the entire skyline with one fell swoop. It's a power pose of sorts, and she's the queen of the city in that moment. It’s beautiful. And it reminds me of something she said to me. What feels like an unlimited supply of confidence — a topic that she is kind of tired of being asked about, for the record — is not actually the reality for Sidibe.