:Aydian Dowling

Dowling grew up in Long Island with two older brothers and two step-siblings. He was often described as a tomboy from a young age.

During his teenage years, Dowling came out as a lesbian, but he felt like this did not fully describe his experience. He felt out of place, even among masculine lesbians. He had his first girlfriend at 16, and he began to question his identity when one of his girlfriends asked if he ever wanted to be a boy. Dowling considered the idea of being transgender, but he was disillusioned by the media's primarily transgender representation being drag king and drag queen performers, most of whom are cisgender outside of their persona. Dowling first found out about the existence of transgender men on the internet, where he saw a clip of Maury posted in 2007, in which Maury Povich interviews Thomas Lando and his sister about Lando's transition.{{Citation |title=Transgender / Transsexual Men on the Maury Show / Lando FTM | date=February 15, 2007 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcqhPJHwv8E |language=en |access-date=2023-02-13}} Following this, Dowling first realized he is a trans man in February 2009.{{cite web |url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2016/03/total-embodiment-an-interview-with-aydian-dowling/ |title=Total Embodiment: An Interview with Aydian Dowling |last=Riley |first=John |date= March 3, 2016 |website= Metro Weekly|access-date= March 10, 2022}}

In an interview with Metro Weekly, Dowling described his experience with gender and gender dysphoria:

{{blockquote|Not only did I feel like I match with the physical, but the emotional things they were talking about, the feelings of not feeling good in your body. And not just because you want to lose five pounds or you want blond hair and you have brown hair, but actually just disassociating from the body that you're in, and feeling like you're stuck in it. Feeling like there's another person in your brain, but this is the body you have.{{cite web |url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2016/03/total-embodiment-an-interview-with-aydian-dowling/ |title=Total Embodiment: An Interview with Aydian Dowling. |last=Riley |first=John |date= March 3, 2016 |website= Metro Weekly|access-date= March 10, 2022}}}}

Shortly after coming out, Aydian met his now-wife, Jenilee Dowling, who he married in 2012.

{{cite web |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/11/05/trans-man-aydian-dowling-first-child/ |title=Trans man Aydian Dowling's wife gives birth to their first child |last=Braidwood |first=Ella |date= November 5, 2018 |website= PinkNews|access-date= March 10, 2022}} On November 1, 2018, Aydian and Jenilee welcomed their first child, Antler Joseph Dowling. They chose the name Antler because antlers symbolize "the cycle of death and rebirth".{{cite web |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/life/trans-activist-and-model-aydian-dowling-celebrates-birth-of-baby-boy/ |title=Trans activist and model Aydian Dowling celebrates birth of baby boy |last=Megarry |first=Daniel |date= November 6, 2018 |website= Gay Times|access-date= March 10, 2022}}

Right after high school, Aydian enrolled in community college to be a writer. However, it was a poor fit and he eventually dropped out, and instead went to culinary school to work as a pastry chef.{{cite web |url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2016/03/total-embodiment-an-interview-with-aydian-dowling/ |title=Total Embodiment: An Interview with Aydian Dowling. |last=Riley |first=John |date= March 3, 2016 |website= Metro Weekly|access-date= March 10, 2022}} Before becoming an LGBTQ+ advocate, Aydian worked for a few years as a baker. Freedom for All Americans wrote a story on Aydian's experience being fired from a bakery job in Oregon following coming out to the owners of the shop, and include a video he recorded for his YouTube channel about his experience with employment discrimination for being transgender.{{cite web|url= https://freedomforallamericans.org/advocate-entrepeneur-aydian-dowling-i-was-fired-for-being-transgender/|title= Advocate & Entrepreneur Aydian Dowling: I Was Fired for Being Transgender|date= September 15, 2016|website= Freedom for All Americans|access-date= March 10, 2022|archive-date= March 4, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230304144152/https://freedomforallamericans.org/advocate-entrepeneur-aydian-dowling-i-was-fired-for-being-transgender/|url-status= dead}}

It was not until Aydian and his wife moved from Florida to New York to be closer to his wife's father, that he pivoted into his entrepreneurial work and devoted more time to his company, Point5cc.{{cite web |url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2016/03/total-embodiment-an-interview-with-aydian-dowling/ |title=Total Embodiment: An Interview with Aydian Dowling. |last=Riley |first=John |date= March 3, 2016 |website= Metro Weekly|access-date= March 10, 2022}}

Since coming out, Aydian's career has kicked off in many directions, as an influencer, trans activist, model, and life / fitness coach.

Aydian Dowling was featured on the cover of FTM Magazine{{'s}} Spring 2015 issue. In it, Dowling recreated a nearly-nude photo of American singer Adam Levine.{{cite web |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/65604-trans-entrepreneur-and-advocate-aydian-dowling-recreates-adam-levines-nearly-nude-photo-for-ftm-magazine |title=Trans Entrepreneur and Advocate Aydian Dowling Recreates Adam Levine's Nearly-Nude Photo for FTM Magazine |last=Peters |first=Lucia |date= February 20, 2015 |website=Bustle |access-date= March 10, 2022}}

Also in 2015, Aydian competed in the Men's Health "Ultimate Men's Health Guy" competition. He lost the cover contest, but won the Reader's Choice award with over 72,000 votes. Aydian appeared on the special edition cover with four other contestants, making him the first transgender man to be represented in Men's Health.{{cite web |url=https://people.com/health/aydian-dowling-loses-mens-health-cover-competition/ |title=Transgender Activist Aydian Dowling Loses Men's Health November Cover Competition but Will Appear on Special Edition Cover |last=Calderone |first=Ana |date= October 15, 2015 |website= People|access-date= March 11, 2022}}

In 2012, Aydian founded his clothing company Point 5cc.{{cite web |url=https://www.pointofpride.org/about |title=About Us |website= Point of Pride|access-date= March 11, 2022}} The name, Point 5cc, refers to the common dosage prescribed for hormone replacement therapy.{{cite web |url=https://shortyawards.com/10th/aydiandowling |title=Aydian Dowling - The Shorty Awards |website= The Shorty Awards 2021|access-date= March 11, 2022}} The company made an effort to donate a portion of proceeds to their Annual Transgender Surgery Fund, and also established a chest binder donation program. Due to demand for additional support in the trans community, the founders of Point 5cc created a sister non-profit organization, Point of Pride.{{cite web |url=https://www.pointofpride.org/about |title=About Us |website= Point of Pride|access-date= March 11, 2022}} This is a trans-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which Aydian continues to serve on the Board of Directors as the President and Co-Founder.{{cite web |url=https://www.pointofpride.org/leadership |title=Meet the Board of Directors at Point of Pride |website= Point of Pride|access-date= March 11, 2022}} Point of Pride distributes free binders to trans masculine people{{cite web |url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2016/03/total-embodiment-an-interview-with-aydian-dowling/ |title=Total Embodiment: An Interview with Aydian Dowling.|last=Riley |first=John |date= March 3, 2016 |website= Metro Weekly|access-date= March 10, 2022}} and has "helped over ten thousand people receive gender affirming garments and surgeries".{{cite web|url= https://aydiandowling.com/#about|title= Transgender Activist & Educator|website= Aydian Dowling|access-date= March 10, 2022|archive-date= March 4, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230304145354/https://aydiandowling.com/#about|url-status= dead}}

More recently, Aydian has become the CEO and co-founder of TRΔCE, an app (in development as of March 2022) designed to help transgender individuals share their transition experience with other trans individuals.{{cite web |url=https://www.thetrace.app/our-team |title=Our Team |website= Trace|access-date= March 11, 2022}}

Dowling began documenting his transition on YouTube (originally named ALionsFears) in 2009.{{cite web |url=https://shortyawards.com/10th/aydiandowling |title=Aydian Dowling - The Shorty Awards |website= The Shorty Awards 2021|access-date= March 11, 2022}} As of March 2022, Aydian's YouTube has over 81,000 subscribers.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/c/AydianDowling |title=Aydian Dowling |website= YouTube|access-date= March 11, 2022}}

In 2017, he and his wife Jenilee created the web series Our Journey To Pregnancy, in which they publicly shared "the joys and difficulties of getting pregnant in a transgender relationship".{{cite web |url=https://shortyawards.com/10th/aydiandowling |title=Aydian Dowling - The Shorty Awards |website= The Shorty Awards 2021|access-date= March 11, 2022}}

Aydian began bodybuilding to masculinize his body after coming out as transgender.{{cite web |url=https://www.metroweekly.com/2016/03/total-embodiment-an-interview-with-aydian-dowling/ |title=Total Embodiment: An Interview with Aydian Dowling.|last=Riley |first=John |date= March 3, 2016 |website= Metro Weekly|access-date= March 10, 2022}} As a part of his fitness journey, Aydian previously ran a YouTube channel named Beefheads Fitness, to coach transgender men on how to live a fit lifestyle.{{cite web |url=https://www.good.is/articles/mens-health-transgender-cover |title=Aydian Dowling Could Become Men's Health's First Transgender Cover Model|last=Madrid |first=Isis |date= April 17, 2015 |website= Good|access-date= March 11, 2022}} This Youtube has been inactive since 2015, and since deleted.{{cite web |url=https://www.instagram.com/beefheadsfitness/?hl=en |title=beefheadsfitness|website= Instagram|access-date= March 11, 2022}}

Aydian has also done in-person bodybuilding training for transgender men in Eugene, Oregon,{{cite web |url=https://www.good.is/articles/mens-health-transgender-cover |title=Aydian Dowling Could Become Men's Health's First Transgender Cover Model|last=Madrid |first=Isis |date= April 17, 2015 |website= Good|access-date= March 11, 2022}} and currently works as a life coach and public speaker.{{cite web|url= https://aydiandowling.com/|title= Transgender Activist & Educator|website= Aydian Dowling|access-date= March 11, 2022|archive-date= March 4, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230304145354/https://aydiandowling.com/|url-status= dead}}

Dowling's cover on Men's Health came out the same year that Laverne Cox was featured on the cover of Time magazine. His appearance on the cover contributed to this wave of increasing media coverage of transgender individuals in the mid 2010s, described by Time as "The Transgender Tipping Point".{{cite web |url=https://www.losangelesblade.com/2020/11/17/transgender-awareness-week-is-about-reminding-all-trans-allies-theres-so-much-more-work-to-do/ |title=Transgender Awareness Week is about reminding all Trans-Allies there's so much more work to do.|last=Dowling |first=Aydian |date= November 17, 2020 |website= Los Angeles Blade |access-date= March 11, 2022}} Dowling's appearance in Men's Health positively affected the lives of other transgender men, and his work has inspired other transgender people to create their own blogs and YouTube channels to document their own experiences.{{cite web |url=https://www.glaad.org/amp/my-trans-hero-aydian-dowling?response_type=embed |title=aydian dowling is my unexpected trans hero |last=Bernardo |first=Mason |date=May 24, 2018 |website=glaad |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304150302/https://www.glaad.org/amp/my-trans-hero-aydian-dowling?response_type=embed |url-status=dead }} In addition to providing meaningful representation, Aydian responds to hundreds of emails a month to help people in their own transitions.{{cite web |url=https://www.onlygood.tv/introducing-the-creation-of-us-with-aydian-dowling-2565337661.html |title= Trans-Activist, Influencer, and Cover Model. Meet Aydian Dowling. (The Creation of Us-E1) |last= Sciglimpaglia |first=Mary |date= December 31, 2021 |website= Only Good TV |access-date= March 11, 2022}}

• April 2015: FTM Magazine cover{{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonrobertb/transgender-magazine-recreates-naked-adam-levine-p-1c4ex |title= Transgender Magazine Recreates Naked Adam Levine Photo |last= Ballard |first=Jason |date= February 17, 2015 |website= Buzzfeed |access-date= March 11, 2022}}
• May 26, 2015: The Ellen Show, "The Astounding Aydian Dowling"{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LujYm465ntY|title= The Astounding Aydian Dowling|date= May 26, 2015| website= YouTube, The Ellen Show|access-date= March 11, 2022}}
• October 14, 2015: The Ellen Show, "Aydian Dowling Catches Up with Ellen"{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LG8zR_JLu8|title= Aydian Dowling Catches Up with Ellen |date= October 14, 2015| website= YouTube, The Ellen Show|access-date= March 11, 2022}}

• November 2015: Men's Health cover.{{cite web |url=https://people.com/health/aydian-dowling-loses-mens-health-cover-competition/ |title=Transgender Activist Aydian Dowling Loses Men's Health November Cover Competition but Will Appear on Special Edition Cover |last=Calderone |first=Ana |date= October 15, 2015 |website= People|access-date= March 11, 2022}}
• March 2016: Gay Times cover{{cite web |url=https://www.out.com/popnography/2016/2/26/aydian-dowling-first-trans-man-cover-gay-times-magazine |title=Aydian Dowling Is the First Trans Man to Cover Gay Times Magazine |last=Wheeler |first=Andre |date= February 26, 2016 |website= Out|access-date= March 11, 2022}}
• June 2016: IN Magazine cover{{cite web |url=https://inmagazine.ca/2016/06/aydian-dowling-incredible-journey/ |title=June 2016 Cover Story: Aydian Dowling's Incredible Journey |last=Hardwick |first=Courtney |date= June 1, 2016 |website= IN Magazine|access-date= March 11, 2022}}

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