"There is internalised transphobia, even when you're transgender. It's sewn into the fabric of society, it's sewn into how we think. So I definitely felt shame with that being so tied up in my identity publicly."
When she was 17 years old, Te Manahou Mackay was outed in the media. It was a terrifying experience that the young model wasn't ready for. But four years on, she has plenty to say - about tokenism in the industry, being a person before you're a gender, and being surrounded with love at home and at school.
This video, by Claire Eastham-Farrelly, is part of HERE WE ARE, an RNZ series by journalists Murphy and Susan Strongman about trans mental health. You can read, hear and view more stories at rnz.co.nz/here-we-are. HERE WE ARE was made with the help of the Mental Health Foundation and Like Minds, Like Mine.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly