Becoming Nicole Character Analysis

Nicole, who was born Wyatt, by the age of three was questioning her gender identity. At that young age she announced her hatred for her male genitalia. She displayed anger toward her twin brother Jonas because he, who never doubted his identity, in Wyatt/Nicole’s mind got to be himself while Nicole did not. The Maines had adopted the twins. While both parents were supportive, they did not necessarily reach acceptance of Nicole’s choice at the same time. Becoming Nicole is not only the story of one young girl’s search for self, but also chronicles the plight of a transgender girl and her success in a landmark courtroom discrimination case. In 2014, she was successful in suing the Orono, Maine school district when it attempted to prevent her from utilizing the girls’ bathroom. This “public” storyline is juxtaposed with the private family storyline in which all four members of the Maines family deal with a challenging situation.

Her husband Wayne is a small town conservative. Kelly seems to effortlessly accept Wyatt’s identifying himself as a female trapped in a male body. She willingly purchases girls’ clothing for the child and uses “she” in reference to her by her elementary school years. She even buys her special bras to help her present a female appearance. It takes more effort on Wayne’s part to achieve the same level of acceptance. He avoids dealing with things at times, but clearly his love for his child never wavers as he lets Kelly address the more difficult situations. Wayne in time is fully engulfed in Nicole’s journey and testifies in front of the Maine Legislature when it attempts to pass a bill that would keep transgender people from using whatever public bathroom they believe to be most