Reese Andrei Stoica: A Magazine with Resources for Romanian Transgender Youth

Ladderworks is a publishing platform of diverse picture books and an online curriculum with the mission to empower over a million kids to become social entrepreneurs. Our current series features interviews by our interplanetary journalist Spiffy with inspiring Social Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders, and Changemakers who are advancing the UN SDGs. 

Spiffy here with the scoop on the entrepreneurial leaders of Planet Earth. As the only interplanetary journalist stationed on this blue planet, I’m thrilled to present this galactic exclusive with Reese Andrei Stoica, the author of Trupuri Trans. Let’s learn what’s happening at Trupuri Trans and how Reese is making a positive impact in the world.

Spiffy: Hi Reese, thanks a million for talking to me today. Tell me, what challenge are you addressing through Trupuri Trans?

Reese: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! My project is a self-published magazine that gives young transgender people in Romania resources to learn about their bodies, and find comfort in them. If you're transgender, it's very hard to find advice and help in your native language, especially from fellow transgender folks who won't judge you or try to "fix" you. That can feel really alienating.

Spiffy: That’s a wonderful initiative, Reese! What motivated you to do it?

Reese: I'm motivated largely by my own experience—I'm trying to create the things I needed most growing up, and things I would still benefit from today. Now that I'm 16, I meet teens like me who are figuring this out on their own, not realizing that they are not alone.

Spiffy: Can you elaborate further on how you, and Trupuri Trans, are working towards a more equitable world?

Reese: I am working toward a world where people, especially transgender people and people who challenge gender norms, can live a life free of fear, abuse, or intimidation. I do this through the advice and resources I offer to fellow transgender youth, as well as in my creative writing as a poet, publicizing the trans perspective and experience.

Spiffy: Tell me about a recent milestone or initiative and the impact that makes on your community?

Reese: Recently, my poems were part of an open call for a national poetry magazine, which promoted them on Instagram. With my writings, I aim to create spaces for LGBTQ+ youth to feel included and safe, as well as to legitimize the queer perspective. Say, you see poems addressed to guys, from guys who used to be girls, and you see them on your Instagram feed alongside your favorite poet. It can really change your perspective!

Spiffy: Please share an experience when you faced failure and didn't give up. What did you learn from it?

Reese: I once tried to start a GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) at my old school. The pandemic started, and a lot of folks obviously couldn't make video chats because they were stuck inside with unsupportive families. It taught me a lot about how much help and involvement from others is needed to get a great thing started, as well as some of the challenges that come with advocating for LGBTQ+ rights while young. I can't say I gave up, I just started working informally from the bottom up—talking to the queer kids I knew at my school who felt isolated and depressed.

Spiffy: Is there anything else you would love to tell our audience?

Reese: If you are struggling through it, if you are trans or gender nonconforming, it doesn't matter if your friends and family and school know or not—I'm proud of you. I'm so proud of you, and I'm fighting every day to live my best life so that you know this is possible. Stay safe, stay incredible.

Spiffy: Thanks for speaking with me today, Reese—it’s been an honor!

Reese Andrei Stoica is a 16-year-old kid who likes birdwatching and poetry. Some may call him an activist, an artist, and a wannabe researcher. At 15, he became a Rise Global Winner. Now, he's writing poems and working on an ecological study. (Nominated by Rise of Schmidt Futures. Published on the Ladderworks website on July 31, 2023.)

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Ladderworks LLC.

© 2023 Ladderworks LLC. Edited by Anushree Nande. Spiffy’s illustration by Shreyas Navare. For the Ladderworks digital curriculum to help K-3 kids advance the UN SDGs, visit Spiffy's Launchpad: Creative Entrepreneurship Workshops for K-3 Kids and their caregivers here.