By Gabriela Steinmetz
During his senior year at Rye High School, Cole Corcino navigated tension as a transgender athlete, ruled out dream schools, switched hospitals mid-treatment, and faced family friction.
While most high school seniors rank their top schools by prestige, cost, and post-grad opportunities, Corcino had to factor anti-transgender legislation into an already stressful process.
Savannah College of Art and Design was his dream school: by training with cutting-edge LED walls like those in “The Mandalorian,” SCAD studios offer students like Corcino, who wants to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in tech theater with a concentration in lighting design, pipelines to Disney. Corcino originally believed liberal Savannah protected him from the Deep South’s transphobia, but restrictive state legislation led him to reconsider in October 2025, halfway through his application.
Georgia had already criminalized hormone therapy for minors in 2023, but in April 2025, the governor also signed The Riley Gaines Act, a law unfavorable to trans athletes. After his mother’s “three-month search for providers,” Corcino had begun hormone therapy at NYU Langone Hospital in March 2025. But after his first biweekly injection, federal funding threats and a Texas subpoena demanding patient lists forced NYU Langone to halt gender-affirming care for minors, leaving Corcino risking a longterm hormonal imbalance.
Callen-Lorde in Chelsea welcomed Corcino and other patients who has been dropped from care.
Because the federal government is impeding hormonal therapy, Corcino is forced to receive treatment in a mobile medical unit. “I currently get treated in a claustrophobic, Callen-Lorde HOTT [Health Outreach to Teens] van, because I’m not allowed to get treated in government-owned buildings,” he said.
Every three to six months, he travels into the city for checkups, an inconvenience with a 3-year-old sibling at home, but he remains “beyond grateful to have parents willing to make the trip.”
As June approached, Corcino was also grateful to see the rainbow pRYEde flags that adorn local lawns with pops of color. Pride Month for Corcino and others in the LBGTQ community empowers LGBTQ youth, building a shield of confidence as healthcare becomes increasingly inaccessible, he said.
“It’s so great being able to see the local community come to support my community,” Corcino said. “It’s fantastic, it’s crowded, it’s big, it’s loud. But that’s something we need nowadays. We are so fortunate to live in not only a state, but also a community, that isn’t scared to celebrate these amazing people.”
Rye has shown Corcino support through the Parsons Street Players, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, and the rugby team. He recently concluded his term as GSA president. He maintained many GSA traditions, including bake sales for unhoused LGBTQ teens and PrideWorks, a one-day conference for Westchester youth.
At the PrideWorks conference, Corcino found the opporunity to develop both skills and new friendships.
“One helped me choose the right college as a transgender teen by prioritizing certain schools and zones I knew to be safe,” he said.
Corcino has developed an expertise in lighting and tech that led RHS faculty to often “drag [him] out during the middle of class” to handle lighting setups for guest speakers.
Theater club became a safe space for Corcino thanks to the “unwavering support the PSP advisor, (Tom) Snowden, builds.” During tech weeks, Corcino spends six hours a day at dress rehearsals, a grueling schedule that also “forced [him] to build community.” Corcino’s technical passion thus shaped his college list.
While his mother “is like a walking pride flag,” and his brother “only ever has known me as Cole,” Corcino said, his father took longer to accept him as his transgender son, forcing him to wear “only girl colors.” His mother dressed him in “glow-in-the-dark Minecraft shirts.”
Corcino’s father initially was hesitant about medical intervention, in case his son’s “mindset changes.” Eventually, he signed the forms after seeing how much “happier and more like me” Corcino felt introduced as “my son.”
On treatment days, Corcino and his mom enjoy “detours to Los Tacos No. 1 and L’Arte Del Gelato” near Chelsea Market as a treat, a tradition that started because of his fear of needles.
Unfortunately, religious traditions have estranged Corcino from the strict Catholic side of his extended family. He no longer “visits Paraguay anymore because it’s not a safe environment for me.” He does, however, remain connected with his Peruvian family in White Plains.
Despite family tensions abroad, Corcino found a welcoming second home at Nugent Stadium. He started playing on the Rye Girls Rugby team in 10th grade before transitioning.
In New York State public schools, a student may play on whichever sports team they prefer, so Corcino continued on the girls’ team.
While some around the country question the validity of transgender athletes, his teammates’ support gives him strength. Corcino wishes that those challenging transgender athletes would realize “it could be somebody you know, even your neighbor.”
When opposing teams give him weird looks, Corcino said, it no longer bothers him.
“At the end of the day, when my team gets pizza and talks, they always consider me Cole that they’ve always known,” he said.
Corcino’s extensive local support system grounds him; seeing over 100 people come to pRYEde emphasizes the importance of allies, “especially for a younger kid who may still be in the closet.”
While seeing a few Rye kids on the floats in NYC Pride is comforting, seeing his town show up to a smaller event means much more.
