Her name is Wilamina Diosa Duenas.

"At this point in my life, and I've been living as a trans woman for close to 20 years," she told KUAM News. "I started my transition at a very young age. And just recently I had top surgery. And something as little as that makes a huge difference in our everyday lives."

Her breast augmentation surgery was a major step – but the little thing that she said would make an even greater impact is having the right to legally change the sex designation on her birth certificate to match her true identity.

"If we are able to change our gender marker on our documents, it all starts with our birth certificates because without that we cannot change our driver’s licenses, our passports or anything that basically requires us to have our identity on documents," Duenas said. 

It’s a slight change she says can make a big difference when it comes to doing everyday things like traveling.

"If you look like this and your documentation doesn’t match, sometimes it does make it difficult to pass through TSA, or something as simple as going to the bank and cashing a check," Duenas said. "Or even going to a doctor's office."

On Guam, the law only allows for transgender individuals to change the designation on their birth certificates only after undergoing transitional surgery.  Sen. Will Parkinson hopes that will change. 

"Somebody had asked and it really touched me because this person means something to this person," he said. 

Parkinson recently introduced Bill 86, which would allow adults to change the legal sex designation on their birth certificates without the red tape of going under the knife.

The senator said the constituent explained to him they have a family member suffering from severe depression, adding they blame the existing law.

"It matters a great deal to them. I can’t begin to understand the personal motivations of identity that drive them," Parkinson said. "I don’t need to completely understand them, I just need to see that this is important to them, and even if I don’t completely understand it, I am going to be supportive of them."

Current law is a hurdle most can't overcome, Duenas said. 

"Every transgender person is different. For it to be required for you to have that surgery in order to change that marker -- it’s kind of unrealistic," she said. 

  Movement Advance Project

It's a reality though for 13 states and Guam that to this day require proof of sex reassignment surgery to make the gender marker change, according to the Movement Advance Project.

The proposal sparked quite a debate locally. 

"I get it, everybody is allowed to have an opinion and that’s completely fine," Duenas added. "But I think if you're going to have an opinion about something that has no direct effect on you, then educate yourself."  

Education to bring the island territory a step closer to equality for all, and make people no matter how they identify feel comfortable in their skin.

See comments on Bill 86: