Well, my birth defect affects me every day.
When people see me they're like, "Wow, that's the half woman!"
Or, "She has no legs!"
Hi, buddy.
Hi. Hello, Luke.
I'm very fun and outgoing.
I, um, don't let anything stop me from doing what I want.
I go for my dreams and I live it.
It means I was born with a shortened spine
and I have to walk on my hands.
One in a million people have it...
..cos it's rare.
My disability affects me outside of the house,
because I would have to use a skateboard to get around.
And I would either have to use a chair or a power chair
to get around, so I normally can't really do a lot of things
like other people can.
I have my nice, little shoes that I wear
inside and out of the house,
so I don't hurt my hands.
I don't want to fall.
What, babe?
SOMEONE MUMBLES IN THE BACKGROUND OK.
Growing up with sacral agenesis, well...
..I always saw myself as normal.
Through growing up and through my teen years,
going to high school and all that, that's when a lot
of the bullying happened.
They'd be rude, just call me names and just be like,
"Oh, you're in the chair," or, "You have no legs, you're an amputee,"
or whatever. Just, like, "Oh, dear."
Just keep on going about my positive, little life
and whatever my head thinks inside, it just pushes
all those mean people away.
I've been doing make-up for a very long time, ever since I was 15.
It just makes me feel...
..makes me feel glamorous, makes me feel beautiful.
It makes me feel like...
..I don't know, I just love it so much and I'm really good at it.
I first realised I was transgender...
..my whole life.
Ever since I was younger, I wouldn't second-guess it.
It wasn't just something that just happened or I just woke up
one day and decided, "OK, well, let's go ahead and start dressing up
"as a girl, because you feel like a girl." No.
I've always known in my heart that I am and it's just...
..there's no if, ands or buts about it. I just, I just am.
I have, basically, a girl's mind and just a boy's body.
But now I'm enhancing it with hormones and making my freaking body
pop and make myself look fabulous.
So, that's what it's about, right.
I came out to my family when I was 15 and I finally told them,
"OK, look, I'm transgender."
And my mom, she already knew.
My dad...
..was nuts.
He was not very happy with my decision.
He didn't want his son to be a woman and he couldn't,
it took him a year and we would have arguments about that and...
..it just, it was hard for him.
Well, the physical transition, for me,
what I first noticed was my skin.
I noticed that my skin wasn't very rough any more.
I noticed that a lot of fat distribution has been going
on with my body and I started developing breasts
and, um, I had a lot of mood swings.
I could eat anything, like, I used to have an appetite, but now
I have an appetite, like, crazy and it's just...
..sometimes I have to stop eating for a bit, because I get so hungry
and then I get a little overweight.
Hey, guys, it's me, Piyah. I'm with my cousin.
She's in a cute, little, uh, what is it?
It's not cute. It is, OK?
We're, like, Mario Kart realness, right now.
I just want to let all you guys know, this goes for trans women,
trans men, whatsoever,
don't...
..ever...
..put yourself down for who you are being and who you are and your soul.
And if it's right, do it, because you know what?
I am tired of having to validate who I am.
I don't give a fuck.
I'm not trying to fool nobody.
I am trying to trick nobody, whatsoever.
I'm a beautiful, transgender woman and my name is Piyah Martell.
Maintaining relationships with my birth defect
have, have had their ups and downs.
People judge me.
I don't care what people think.
My first impression of him was...
.."What am I getting myself into?"
But then, he has this, like, charm,
that I just was really attracted to.
Just like every normal couple, we fight,
we argue, we bicker...
..and go through our little temper tantrums here and there,
but we always come together and we make it work.
And that's the thing about relationships, is you communicate.
Are you pouring this on top?
Yeah, it's going to go on top of the rice.
Oh, this and this?
The rice is a little too high, baby.
Ow! Drop me.
She's a very beautiful girl.
She's sweet, she's nice.
And, uh, she's, I don't know, she's wonderful.
And she just, you know, brightens up the day.
She's everything. I call her my angel.
My birth defect has not got in the way of physical, intimate ways
with my husband. I think it's just fine.
Well, in the future I would definitely like to get top
and bottom surgery.
That would be in the future, for I can manifest my life better.
Even though I do love myself for, you know, everything now.
I, kind of, trained my brain to really just be happy with right now.
For it not to get too stressed out. SHE LAUGHS
Because it does take time, it takes time.
What do I dream of being in the future?
Being able to travel the world
and to make the world a better place.
It's allowing everybody to see me for me and to know that it's OK
to be yourself and to be who you are.