Transgender teenagers share their incredible then and now photos as hashtag #MomentsInTransition sweeps social media

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Transgender men and women are showing jaw-dropping photos of their transformation as a new hashtag sweeps Twitter.

The hashtag #MomentsInTransition has seen members of the community sharing pictures of themselves when they were living in the wrong bodies and now after transitioning.

Gabrielle Diana, 17, from Ottawa, Canada, kickstarted the trend to boost other people's confidence by sharing her own pictures and a message about her experience. 

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Gabrielle Diana (pictured)  started the hashtag #MomentsinTransition to encourage the transgender community to share their transition journeys 

In a post on her Instagram account comparing an old photograph that shows her as a clean-cut young boy, to how she looks now - as a glamorous young woman - she discussed her personal journey with her followers.

She wrote: 'I used to wear my mom's dresses and make-up, and it wasn't easy in the beginning since I wasn't transitioning, I was just a gay boy experimenting with my image. 

'But now I'm a transitioning woman, almost getting to the next step of a major surgery that I never imagined would be in the cards.'

Gabrielle (pictured before transitioning, left, and now right) says she started the hashtag to both inspire a younger generation of trans people and also encourage the existing ones to acknowledge their success

Gabrielle, pictured here at the start of her transition, first started the hashtag on her Instagram account but it really took off on Twitter 

She continued: 'Half of the people who follow me don't know even one part of the struggles and hell I endured on the road to happiness but my struggles made me a confident young woman, and I'm truly f****** blown away because if you asked me 3 years ago, I would have genuinely thought I would be dead if I couldn't explore this world of gender identity that led me to transitioning.'

Following the powerful message with the hashtag many of Gabrielle's supporters and followers took to Twitter to share their own incredible stories.

The overriding message was one of pride and acceptance with both trans and non-trans Twitter members tweeting their support for the photos. 

It wasn't long before other transgender people were sharing their own transition photos. Alex Jacob (pictured) wrote #momentsintransition when you first cut your hair

Gabrielle says that she has been surprised by the reaction but hopes that the positive response will help those on transitioning journeys themselves. 

Speaking to MailOnline she said: 'It (the hashtag) was something I created in hopes of boosting people's confidence and reminding people who are comfortable sharing these special moments, that we have come far in our transitions.

'That includes with/without hormones, with/without haircuts, with/without surgeries. 

'Our transitions are completely personal and these moments are defining as who we are, also remembering that we are always developing as people and we have no real idea of what the future holds for us!'

Many discussed becoming comfortable in what they were wearing such as Benben (pictured)

Benben tweeted: #momentsintransition when I started taking control of my appearance and discovering my gender! early June 2015

Ashton (pictured before, left, and after transistion, right) tweeted: #momentsintransition looking more and more like the real you as the days pass

As well as encouraging future trans generations Gabrielle says she was keen for those who are or have transitioned to reflect on their own hard work.

She continued: 'I was inspired by many things. Particularly looking through old photos of me, from even before I transitioned. I saw how much progression I've made, and I thought of how far I've come instead of thinking about the desires I have for the future.'

Gabrielle continued to explain that the recent death of Emma Greer, a good friend and Vine star, who lost her battle with a rare soft tissue cancer reminded her to reflect on what was good in her life.

Clucus (pictured before transition) remarked that having a haircut can make all the difference 

He tweeted: '#momentsintransition haircuts r cool and also i started t almost two months ago which is pretty amazing'

She said: 'Another big thing was the passing of my friend Emma Greer, and once she passed it just gave me such clarity about my life, being that she was so young and was lively. I've had many accomplishments and I wanted to highlight that.' 

Despite the increasing exposure of LGBTQ communities in the media Gabrielle says that there is still plenty to be done in the quest for transgender rights. 

She continued: 'I would like to believe that there is more acceptance and understanding but the reality is, the more we gain representation and recognition, the more people want to fight against us. 

Luke (pictured now) said: #momentsintransition pretending to be a girl and hiding any masculinity, to a cute, out, happy trans boy

He shared a time line of photos from being a young child (left) to teenage years (centre) and finally as his true self (right)

'This is very visible to Trans POC who are highly at risk, and seen being subject to hate crimes. In the mainstream media there is more coverage and that is great, but that still perpetuates more transphobia which needs to be addressed by our governments to ensure that we are protected federally and socially. 

'There is still a long way to go for the trans community, and we are doing the most we can to create awareness, now it's up to the people who are targeting us to end the violence towards trans identifying people.'

Although Gabrielle recognises there is a problem she has not lost hope in a solution and says that she is thrilled to see the transgender community become more active in their fight for equality. 

Brendon (pictured before, left, and after transitioning, right) agreed that hair cuts were important, tweeting: #momentsintransition when you get your first haircut

This throwback picture was shared on Twitter by Scott to accompany the hashtag 

Scott shared these further two pictures accompanied without a message and simply the hashtag

'I think that people need to listen. The trans community is not silent, we are very vocal about the fact that we face large amounts of violence, hate, and injustice. 

'For example, we speak up for our right to go to the bathroom in public, but get dismissed due to the fact that these people want to make up false facts and create more stigma around trans people. 

'We're vocal, we fight, we know we need protection, we need representation that is not going to give us a harmful reputation like some people that we have seen in mainstream media. 

'The people need to listen to us, and the people are social workers, the government, our families, they need to listen to OUR voice about the journey we are enduring.' 

Emma Greer's family have set up a GoFundMe page to help them with medical expenses. To donate visit their site here. 

e tweeted this picture of his younger self while still living in a female body 

He also agreed in the power of a haircut. He said: #momentsintransition I guess a haircut is pretty important

Kayden was another user to tweet about the power of a haircut. He said: #MomentsInTransition getting my first super short haircut