At the time, he was rather awkward--nerd school, so we all were--and clearly struggling with finding his place in the world. He had grown up in a conservative Christian family in Lancaster, PA (Amish country, though they weren't Amish). In retrospect, there were some signs that he was uncomfortable with his gender identity, but we lost touch after undergrad. It's only through Facebook that I've seen the transition to she/her. From outward appearances on Facebook, she is happier now. She once remarked that she had wanted to be a cheerleader growing up, but never could. That would be the costuming you're talking about. Instead, she was unhappy through childhood and college because she felt forced to be someone she didn't want to be. The saddest part for me is that she has apparently been alienated from her parents and feels like they want her to "grow up and be a man" (never mind that she's in her mid 30s now).
[Post edited by CMUHoo at 08/20/2023 11:11AM]