Être soi-même, c’est être heureux.4 photos

Many people still remember Balian Bushbaum from his previous life, when he was a girl named Yvonne Bushbaum. In 2008, Yvonne—a talented German athlete specializing in pole vaulting—decided to change his gender. Today, Balian Bushbaum gives public seminars and lectures where he talks openly about himself, his feelings, and his thoughts, and he also compares the male and female natures.

Yvonne Bushbaum was born in 1980 in the German city of Ulm. At the age of 18, she completed basic military training and began her brilliant sports career. Pole vaulting became her main discipline, and from 1998 to 2007, she achieved significant success in various competitions, including world and European championships as well as the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Her award portfolio includes a third place at the 1998 European Championships and another in 2002; a second place at the 2002 European Indoor Championships; and sixth place at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her personal best was set in June 2003 in her hometown of Ulm, with a height of 4.70 meters.

In November 2007, Yvonne announced that she was quitting sports due to numerous injuries. However, the real reason behind her decision was a completely sensational one: she openly declared herself transgender and chose to change her gender. This came as a shock to many of her fans and supporters.

After beginning hormone therapy, she underwent gender-reassignment surgery in 2008 and officially changed her gender, adopting the name Balian Bushbaum. On her official website, Balian expresses his deep gratitude to his supporters for their encouragement and the countless letters they sent him. He says that their emotional support helped him through a very difficult period in his life, and now he is absolutely happy with his new identity.

Balian enjoys posing for photographers; online, one can even find his semi-naked photos. Surprisingly, it is quite difficult to tell, even with the most careful observation, that this attractive young man was once a girl named Yvonne. He has a completely masculine appearance and always looks calm, friendly, relaxed, and happy in his photographs.

Balian believes that everyone should create their own happiness, because everyone deserves to be happy and live in harmony with themselves and all external factors.

<>Today, he gives public lectures where he talks about himself, his challenges, how he overcame them, and his search for happiness. He also shares that after quitting sports, he discovered his new passion: motorcycles. As a man, he rides much faster than when he was a woman, and he notes that the female nature is generally more compassionate, while a woman’s thoughts can easily fill the minds of three men.Today’s Balian is much more confident in himself, independent of others’ opinions, and therefore freer.