This Windsor, Ont., teen explains what it's like to be trans amid a growing backlash

When Fabien Hawkins was exploring his gender identity, his parents weren't the first to know. 

A few years ago, Fabien asked a group of online friends to start using different pronouns on him. 

"So I told them, 'I think I might be trans. Can you help me by using different pronouns on me and I'll see what I'm comfortable with? This is obviously just a test until I can really figure out who I am,'" he said. 

"I wanted to make sure I knew who I was before I said something to my parents." 

Once Fabien felt confident in identifying as a male, he came out to his parents, Erin and Stephen Hawkins.

Erin says they were shocked at first. But quickly, they came to accept that this was what Fabien wanted and that he needed to live his life.

"I felt privileged and lucky that my kid felt completely safe telling me that they are ... trans," Erin said. "I felt better as a parent knowing that I've given my kids the confidence in our relationship that they can tell me that and feel safe doing that."

CBC News sat down with the Hawkins ahead of Fabien's top surgery next month. The surgery involves removing the 18-year-old's breasts and creating a flat chest.

Fabien, who came out just after his 16th birthday, says he realizes he's navigating his transition in a society that is actively restricting people from exploring and choosing their gender identity.

From some politicians trying to restrict access to gender-affirming care in the U.S. and the banning of books dealing with LGBTQ subjects, to protests in Windsor-Essex around when young people can change their pronouns at school, Fabien says he knows that the community continues to be under attack.

Recent events make Erin and Stephen worry for how Fabien will move through the world, but Fabien says he's ready to keep fighting alongside the LGBTQ community to protect their rights. 

Two years ago, the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) introduced a policy around gender identity and expression for students. That policy allows students of any age to change their gender pronouns and their names at school without their parents' or guardians' knowledge. 

Similar policies exist at many other school boards across Ontario. Fabien just graduated from the local French public school board, Conseil Scolaire Viamonde.

CBC News asked the French board to define its policies around gender expression and identity, but hasn't heard back. But Fabien says his school readily changed his birth name to his chosen one on his online profile and class lists.