Transgender singer Summer Luk reveals how she found the courage to come out

Publish date: 2024-05-19

A transgender student and singer has told how she was forced to sign a contract by her former college promising not to 'engage in LGBTI behavior'. 

Summer Luk, 22, who comes from a religious and conservative family from Hong Kong and lives in New York, said the Christian school also made students vow not to drink, party or have sex. 

The musician, who went to the school when she first came to the US, told Refinery 29 that biblical studies was 'compulsory' and she had to go to church around 36 times per semester.

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Restricted: Singer and student Summer Luk, pictured in her music video, attended Biola University, a private Christian school, for two years

Restricted: Singer and student Summer Luk, pictured in her music video, attended Biola University, a private Christian school, for two years

'Truth': The transgender woman, pictured in her music video, said she had to sign a 'contract' promising not to 'drink, party or have sex' and vow to 'not engage in same sex behavior'

'Truth': The transgender woman, pictured in her music video, said she had to sign a 'contract' promising not to 'drink, party or have sex' and vow to 'not engage in same sex behavior'

Spotlight: The singer, pictured performing, now goes to NYU where she said she was able to introduce herself to her professors as Summer without problems

Spotlight: The singer, pictured performing, now goes to NYU where she said she was able to introduce herself to her professors as Summer without problems

After two years, Summer, who identifies as a transgender woman, left the college and moved to NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study where she is now a senior and studying media, communications, music and social justice.

She said NYU was the first time she could email her professors as Summer and use female pronouns and said 'they didn't have a problem with it.'  

Summer said: 'My first college experience here in the US was at a Christian school, where biblical studies was a compulsory minor and I had to go to church about 36 times per semester.

'We even had to sign a contract that says that we weren't allowed to party, drink, have sex, or engage in LGBTI [which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex - a person born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male] behavior.'

Writing about the moment she left Biola University in Los Angeles and moved to New York, she said she felt 'waves of liberation'. 

'When I first stepped into the hallways at New York University, it felt like a dream,' she wrote on Huffington Post earlier this year. 

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Share Statement: Summer, who is originally from Hong Kong and lives in New York, pictured in her video, has written a song about her identity called I am A Girl Statement: Summer, who is originally from Hong Kong and lives in New York, pictured in her video, has written a song about her identity called I am A Girl

Statement: Summer, who is originally from Hong Kong and lives in New York, pictured in her video, has written a song about her identity called I am A Girl

Strict: Summer, pictured right with a friend, said at her first university biblical studies was 'compulsory' and she had to go to church around 36 times per semester

Strict: Summer, pictured right with a friend, said at her first university biblical studies was 'compulsory' and she had to go to church around 36 times per semester

Development: Summer, pictured center with friends, said she first started secretly dating gay boys when she was 14 and first wore high-heeled shoes in public when she was 16

Development: Summer, pictured center with friends, said she first started secretly dating gay boys when she was 14 and first wore high-heeled shoes in public when she was 16

'I had a hard time believing that I was finally able to introduce myself as Summer to everyone I knew. 

'I was so quickly accepted everywhere I went that for a moment I forgot that it was just months ago when I had to hide myself and interact with people who were trans-phobic.' 

The university confirmed that every student are required to agree wen they apply to sign a 'statement of faith' and a 'community standards' agreement.

Spokeswoman Jenna Loumagne told Daily Mail Online: 'Every student agrees not to have pre-marital sex, to not drink alcohol while enrolled as a student and to not engage in same sex behavior.'

Summer, who secretly started dating gay boys when she was 14 and first wore high-heeled shoes in public when she was 16, said in Hong Kong, transgender is 'definitely not accepted'. 

'NYU was the first place where I was able to email my professors and reintroduce myself as Summer and go by female pronouns. They didn’t have a problem with it,' she told Refinery 29. 

Perception: Summer, pictured center with friends, said her family were not positive about her gender initially because on screen transgender women are 'sex workers, are mentally unstable, or are victims of violence'

Perception: Summer, pictured center with friends, said her family were not positive about her gender initially because on screen transgender women are 'sex workers, are mentally unstable, or are victims of violence'

Pride: Summer featured a number of other transgender people in her music video, pictured

Pride: Summer featured a number of other transgender people in her music video, pictured

Freedom: The people featured in the video, pictured, held signs with handwritten lyrics to the song such as 'I will defy I will break free'

Freedom: The people featured in the video, pictured, held signs with handwritten lyrics to the song such as 'I will defy I will break free'

Her family were not positive about her gender initially because she said on film and television transgender women are 'sex workers, are mentally unstable, or are victims of violence.'

But recently she said her mother called her to tell her about Chinese transgender television presenter Jin Xing. 

She said: 'My mom called me one day [and asked], ‘Summer, do you know of Jin? She would be a good role model for you. 

'I never knew trans women could have healthy, fulfilling lives doing what they love.’ It never occurred to her because it was never shown.' 

Recently Summer released her debut single, I Am A Girl, which she wrote, produced and performed and talks about identity and gender. The video for the song features Summer and more than 20 other people who are transgender.

She said the video was a 'big milestone' and the bathroom scene, where she writes 'it never was a dream, it's my truth, it's the truth' on a mirror was particularly emotional for her to film because she was 'reclaiming my narrative and identity'. 

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