Opening out
The college years are all about life transition and growth. But for , the transition included his very gender.

Skylar Kergil '13 (photo by Julia Luckett '12)
At Skidmore and ever after, heās shared insights and experiences from his female-to-male transgender process in and other social media. Over the years, under his āskylarkā and āskylarkelevenā handles, he has drawn tens of thousands of followers, who have expressed their gratitude for his friendly, candid, balanced persona and his eloquent reflections on many aspects of self and society. Heās enlisted friends and family for special Q&As, heās opened windows into his life, and heās simply discussed his views and thoughts on a range of gender-related issues from the medical to the mundane.
While embarking on hormone therapy and other transition measures, Kergil majored in art, served as a peer mentor, helped lead Skidmoreās Pride Alliance, turned down some public-speaking gigs so that he could focus on his studies, and graduated with both academic and student-life honors. He recalls, āSkidmore provided me my first home away from home, a place where I was allowed to become whoever I learned I needed to be. It was there that I chose to live fully out as a transgender man, supported by my professors and peers.ā
Also a musician (he was part of Beatlemore Skidmania 2012), Kergil has supplied background tracks for some of his videos, and he has spoken or performed at dozens of colleges around the Northeast. Now heās an author as well, with his slated for publication in early September.
Kergilās artistās statement aptly distills his fundamental outlook: āOne of the biggest acts of creation is that of our selves. I use painting to grow with, learn about, and be challenged by this world. Still learning, I push paint around to recreate the feeling of motion while standing still.ā