Eli Bodian was raised in Dix Hills, New York and came from a very Jewish family. Eli described growing up as lonely. Due to Eli’s family dynamic, they struggled a lot to find their own vocabulary when it came to talking about transitioning and gender. This led them to spending many hours in the Half Hollows Hill Library researching gender and sexuality as well as creating the first Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at their high school. Eli continued their education and graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in illustration. Eli also touches on their personal experiences with chosen families, workplace discrimination, abusive relationships, safe spaces and activism.