Kai Martinez is a transgender man who moved to Utah with his parents from a rural Colorado town at the age of 10. Growing up, he always wanted to be like his father, and as he got older, Kai came to the realization that he is a transgender male – that although he was raised as a girl, he persistently understood himself to be male. Kai was able to come out to his father before he passed away, who told him that he loved and accepted him, and so eventually Kai transitioned to live every day as the man he has long known himself to be. He now is married to a loving wife and is the father of one child. He communicated his story to the Utah legislature when he testified in favor of nondiscrimination protections in housing and employment for LGBTQ people.

“My father trusted the state of Utah to embrace all his children,” Kai said. “I encourage all people to strive to leave a legacy that honors all Utahns regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.”