Edited by: Kuro

This chapter is sponsored by: Somebody! You know who you are. Thank you sooo much for supporting me and my work. I will be posting your next chapter in a bit.

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Adriel was fuming at his desk. He called all the faithful members of the official JADED Fanclub. Everyone was in the group chat and it was a mess. Some people were confused, some were angry for Jaden, and others were waiting for orders.

When he thought it was a good time to speak up, he said one word in the group chat: "Everyone."

Everyone immediately went silent. They were all waiting for their President to speak.

"Fellow members of the official JADED Fanclub, War-Torn, before I continue, may I ask you all a question?"

"Of course, Prez!" Many people shouted in the chat.

"We love and support Jade regardless of gender identity, yes?"

Almost everyone had said yes. There was one person who said no and was immediately kicked out of the group chat. No one really cared if they were joking or not. If they didn't know the time and place to joke, that was the fault of the person. It was one thing to not understand a joke or know social cues, but they couldn’t take chances with someone who could possibly be transphobic.

Seeing them gone, Adriel smiled, accomplished, and ready to go to battle.

"Alright, now that we got rid of nuisances, here are my orders for everyone."

*****

A few days had gone by and it was finally time for the Press Conference.

Jaden was very relaxed compared to his pacing group members who were worried out of their minds. They had been so worried that some of them had a hard time eating. With Jaden coaxing them to eat and sleep, they somehow made it to the big day. They were all going to go with Jaden to show their support so they dressed up a bit and even helped Jaden into the car.

He wanted to protest that his legs were still working but the group members weren't listening.

Mama Dex even hugged Jaden the whole way to the press conference. "No matter what people say we will always be by your side, got it?"

"That's right! If someone dares try to hurt you, I will jump in to the crowd and punch them!" Danny shouted as he held his fist up in the air, swinging it around to show his "might.”

"Danny, please don't do that..." Keith exhaustingly said as he drove them to the location of the press conference. It had been a very long couple of days and if he had to hold another press conference just to explain why Danny, the lead singer, decided to slug some of the reporters, he would have a migraine that lasted for a lifetime.

Jaden, the calmest of them all, chuckled softly. "Let's not do anything that will give Keith a headache."

'My one and only savior within JADED.' Keith felt like shedding tears of joy.

"Let's make sure the whole world knows who I am." He smiled brightly.

For some reason, everyone in the car felt a chill going down their spines. It wasn't even winter though…

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They arrived at the press conference location an hour early. The conference was held at a hotel under a company that was good friends with Lunar Corp.

The place was a bit empty, but everything was set up in the reception room. They had a stage and a place for reporters to sit and stand by the stage. Cameramen were setting up their equipment ready to live stream it.

Jaden and the rest of JADED were sitting in a room nearby waiting to get called on. They talked with one another, making sure that Jaden felt supported, helped him go through some questions that might be asked, and paced around the room like worrying mothers.

After waiting, they were finally called to go into the reception room. The moment they entered, reporters' cameras were flashing and the TV stations all zoomed in on them. Everyone was calm, contrary to some of their earlier anxiousness.

Dex, Danny, Eli, and Al were off to the side while Jaden went up on stage with Luna. Luna barely made an appearance, but when she did, everyone couldn't help but be stunned by her beauty.

Luna was handed a mic and began speaking. "Hello everyone and thank you for coming here today."

"We are holding a press conference because there have been rumors going around the internet. Jaden and I have come here today to address these rumors."

The netizens of live stream chats were stunned. From Luna's wordings, were the rumors actually wrong?

(LittleBih: If even Ms. Luna is coming in to help Jaden...)

(LazyApples: Luna is Queen. Whatever she says is right.)

(QuitBitxhing: the user above me is a mess. But if Luna steps on my neck I would thank her.)

The live chat was going out of control. Jaden, who couldn't see these comments, didn't really care for that and grabbed his mic.

"Thank you Ms. Luna for coming here today and letting me clarify some things." Jaden bowed towards Ms. Luna before turning to the cameras.

"Everyone, there are rumors going around saying that I am a trans man, and I am here to confirm that those rumors are true. I am, in fact, a trans man."

(Peaches: Holy shit! Are you fucking serious?!)

(Lunaisbae: I really liked Jaden and now I don't know how to feel.)

(Skyblue: i'm utterly disgusted. i'm unstanning.)

All sorts of comments were blown up, but Jaden didn't stop talking.

"For the longest time, I felt there was something wrong with me. That I was disgusting and gross. That I didn't deserve to be happy because I wasn't happy with myself. I woke up every single day, hating myself, disappointed that I was still alive. For a long time, I didn't know if there was anyone else who felt the same way I did. I saw all the suffering that trans folks have to go through in our country, and I didn't know the words to express how I felt because I was scared. For so long, I tried to be like any other girl but it wasn't working. It was suffocating...

"It came to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. I said 'F- it! What's the use of trying to continue faking who I am when I'm not happy?' I know who I am and I'm proud to be a trans man! I came out to my family several months ago and was disowned. Then I went to JQ and they have supported me and JADED all the way up to this point. I am so grateful for the wonderful people that I have met. It made me realize that there were kind people in this scary world. That not everyone would be disgusted and will accept me for who I am."

Dex, Al, Eli, and Danny all wanted to run up on stage and give Jaden a hug, but he wasn't done just yet.

"People will hate what is different. They are scared of change and scared of the unknown, but that won't stop me from being who I am. There are trans individuals out there who can't be visible, scared to even leave their house in fear of being noticed! They are scared to come out to friends and family because they think they will be rejected, killed, or disowned. 70% of trans women are more likely to die due to hate crimes, and trans men are 60% more likely to die by suicide. Isn't that terrifying?

"There hasn't even been a single trans individual in this country, who has come out, that has lived to the age of 60!"

(Luna is 58 years old. She's close.)

"I'm not here to ask for acceptance but I'm here to ask for understanding, even respect as a human being. I'm here to ask that if you love the music that JADED has made, then love the music. Why does it matter what is in our pants, or what isn't? Why does our gender identity matter when music doesn't have any? I'm just a man who loves music. That's it really."

It was a powerful speech and some people felt heartbroken for Jaden and all the other trans individuals who had to suffer every day, hiding and hoping that no one finds them, hurts them, kills them, etc. It was a sad way of living in a society that prided on freedom and being oneself.

Many people were speechless, but the JADED official Fanclub, War-Torn, went to all the group chats cheering for Jaden. Words of love and acceptance were soon filling the chat, making it so that hate comments were swept away. The people who tried to spread hate could not be seen with the barrage of love.

The rest of the members of JADED were finally allowed to go up on stage and hug Jaden. They spoke into the mic in Jaden's hand.

Dexter was the first to speak. "No matter what, Jaden will always be a member of JADED. Without him, there is no J to our JADED. It would just be ADED and that's kind of weird. Also, he's my precious baby and anyone who tries to hurt him will feel my wrath!" Mama Dex was Mama Dex to the very end. It didn't matter what world he was in, he was still the wonderful mama friend that the Host had made.

"Dex... Can you not. Anyway, I agree with Dex. Jaden is a precious member of our group regardless of his gender identity. His talent and passion are the real deal. He is the missing puzzle piece we were looking for. I have been waiting to debut for 4 years, the longest in our group. I have watched people come and go, but when Jaden came into our group some months ago, I just knew he was there to stay. Nothing would be able to change the fact that he's the one to complete JADED." Al smiled at the camera. As the leader, he had endless charisma and made everyone want to listen to him.

Danny held out his fist and waved it in the air. "I'm ready to fight anyone who hurts our precious baby Jaden!"

"Jaden is our precious group member. We love him dearly..." Eli, the man of a few words, had said all he needed to say.

Luna interrupted them before anyone could say anything else. "Now that you see how every group member feels about Jaden, I will make this clear as the CEO and founder of Lunar Corp and JQ. Every employee, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation will be treated with respect. One of the main principles of Lunar Corp is to promote gender equity regardless of their background. We prioritize equality for all of our members but also take into account that we also need equity.

"Now that we have stated what needs to be said and cleared all the rumors, you may now ask Jaden and all of the Lunar Corp questions..."

All the reporters in the room had their hands up.

Luna looked at all of them before pointing at a young man in a blue and white plaid shirt. "You may talk, Mister."

"Thank you, CEO Luna. I want to ask, did you all know of Jaden's gender identity before he was accepted into the company?"

Luna looked over at Charlotte and called her up. Charlotte looked like an elite secretary. She had the grace and professionalism that all members of the Lunar Corp displayed.

Lunar Corp was the most sought out business for women. Many would die to work at their company that not only took care of their workers but made sure that everyone could use their abilities to the best of their potential.

Charlotte took the mic and smiled at the reporters who doubted her decision. "To answer your question, sir, Jaden had made it clear before signing the contract. I was the one who had scouted Jaden and thought he was the perfect fit for the company. When he had told me about his gender identity, I made it clear that we would be responsible for helping him through whichever medical and social transition he would like to go through."

The people on the live streams were in shock hearing this. Was there really a company so amazing and understanding as Lunar Corp? It all felt so fake but looking at Lunar Corp, JQ, and even CEO Luna standing up for Jaden, they couldn't help but believe it.

Luna called on a few more people as planned.

Let's just say, it was a long conference, but everyone came out slightly more educated and a little less ignorant.

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Grandpa Marky: A lot of what trans people face statistically in this story is what trans people in the U.S. go through.  When I posted this chapter last year, quite a few black trans women died due to hate crimes after Trump tweeted out that he officially let the Healthcare Industry (doctors, health insurance, etc) deny treating/helping trans folk if that is what their beliefs tell them. And then the Supreme Court said that workplaces were not allowed to discriminate against trans folks because this is discrimination based on sex (discriminating one's sexual orientation is also being considered as sex discrimination). Within the LGBTQIA+ community, trans women are more likely to die due to hate crimes than any other member of the LGBTQIA+ community here in the U.S., specifically trans women of color. We must protect trans women of color! It is also important to note that Marsha P. Johnson, a black trans woman (though some sources say that they are a "gay man"), was one of the prominent figures who led the Stonewall riot. This riot is the reason we have Pride parades and Pride Month. Unfortunately, she was murdered in a hate crime when she was 46. She stood up against police brutality, and everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community in the USA should remember her name during pride and for BLM.

Also, a lot of trans folks die due to lack of health care, some even get denied treatment and ultimately die from disease or illness like cancer. It's a tough world for trans folks T_T

Stay tuned for the next extra chapter (in like a few seconds) where I give my thank yous!