By Chris Quintana
June 5, 2022
Finnley Armacost had a heavy decision to make his first year at the University of California, San Diego: Would he tell his peers that he was transgender?
He knew the stakes. In high school, he wanted to join the military and even joined his school’s chapter of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, a federally subsidized military prep program. He did well, climbing to a top-ranking position.
But around that time, Armacost came out to his peers and instructors. The once welcoming group became hostile. He overheard slurs, and it became clear he needed to leave. He worried a similar scenario might play out again in college, and Armacost spent much of the first semester in “stealth,” not mentioning his identity to any of his peers.