“You love me in a way that lets me know it’s gonna be okay,” says Jayce Price in his song “Saved.” It’s not every day that a young musician writes a love song to his family at 18. But then Jayce Price did not easily find his beloved family.

Price was born with female genitalia 22 years ago in Russia. The newborn was immediately taken to an orphanage, where he spent the first two years of his life before landing with his adoptive parents in Colorado. Her new parents had a strong idea of ​​the perfect family — and the perfect daughter — and ran a very strict household.

But being seen as a girl never felt right. At age 15, Price (who had a different last name at the time) came out as transgender to her adoptive parents. The announcement was met with extreme resistance: “I’d rather have a dead daughter than a trans son,” Price’s adoptive mother said.

It began over three years of abuse and a lifetime of humiliation, deprivation, denial of affection and other insidious forms of discipline. His adoptive parents refused to support hormone replacement, buy him clothes that were anything but feminine, or help Price as he went through the emotions and difficulties of being transgender.

“I was about 3 when I found out I was the wrong sex, but I didn’t know what to call it,” said Price, who plans to complete her degree in communication studies this summer at Metropolitan. Denver State University. “I finally found the word around the age of 15, and I knew right away that was what was happening to me.”

Around the age of 17, Price met a classmate in high school who invited him to his graduation ceremony. The student’s father, Brian Kennedy, also invited family friends Kelly and Daniel Price. Kennedy, who knew of Jayce’s struggles at home, noticed how easily the Prices talked and laughed with Jayce. Kennedy spoke to the Prices about Jayce’s situation and said the teenager could use supportive adults in his life.

Kelly and Jayce met a few weeks later, and during their conversation, Kelly asked, “Are you safe?” Jayce replied, “It depends on the day.”

Kelly could see that Jayce’s home life was unstable and, seizing on her intuition and easy relationship with the affable teenager, told Jayce he would move in with the Prices. Three days later, that’s exactly what happened.

“I came home from my business trip and found that Jayce was living with the Prices,” Kennedy said. “I was blown away. I was worried about Jayce. I thought, ‘If this doesn’t work, he has nowhere to go.’ Fortunately, this story has a happy ending.

What followed was two years of learning to be himself, becoming a brother of four overnight, undergoing hormone replacement therapy, buying the clothes he wanted for the first time, and getting masculine frames for his glasses. All of these things allowed him to flourish.

Shortly after moving in with the Prices, they introduced him to Anna Pesce, who is also LGBTQ+. Their friendship was instantaneous.

“We just worked,” Pesce said. “He’s a very talented musician and he showed me one of his songs called ‘Magic’. He sings, plays guitar and piano, writes and records his songs. And they’re really good too.

“Knowing Jayce helped me grow as a person,” Pesce continued. “By being there for him through disagreements and reconciliation, I learned what a healthy friendship looks like. And being there for him taught me to be there for myself, too. a friendship that I cherish.

After 2.5 years with the Prices and many stories of growth, love, understanding and forgiveness, Jayce moved into his home with three roommates and two cats. Now he and his mother Kelly have written a book about their family experiences.

“The book started out as a kind of demented mom’s diary,” Jayce said. “She kept this diary of our adventures, and after about 100 pages we realized it was funny as hell and maybe could help other people in the same situation.”

“Somewhere Under the Rainbow” tells the story of becoming a family. Some stories are funny, some ridiculous and some heartbreaking. For example, the first time Jayce went clothes shopping that didn’t end in anger and tears, Kelly asked him what kind of underwear he liked. Jayce thought about it for a minute and replied, “I don’t know.” He had never had the opportunity to choose his own clothes.

With his DIY family, Jayce couldn’t be happier.

“What I wish for Jayce the most is exactly what happens,” Pesce said. “I want to continue to see him let go of all his past traumas and grow the way he wants. I want to see him live his best life.

And Jayce feels optimistic about his life.

“I go through what’s probably a pretty common thought process,” Jayce said, “that I’m unlovable because I’m trans. But I have met wonderful women who accept very well. On the career side, I hope to be able to use my experiences in a non-profit environment by doing communication work. It would be great to work with LGBTQ+ kids. I don’t know if I will have children, but I would like to pass on the gift of family that I received.