Secret Lives of Americans Profiles Trans Man's Struggles and Victories

This week's Secret Lives of Americans, the fascinating docu-series from Pivot, features the story of Cayes, a young man from Long Beach who was born a biological woman. In an exclusive teaser clip of the episode, we learn about the hardships and victories Cayes has experienced throughout his transition, and the challenge of revealing his true self to the important people in his life.

Secret Lives of Americans covers a wide range of stories presenting an important array of issues, including HIV/AIDS, eating disorders, and crippling debt. What makes the show unique is that each episode is told from the person it focuses on, through camera phones, laptops, and other media available to the storyteller.

Cayes had kept his identity a secret from most of the world, but felt he needed to share after reading of the suicide of a transgender youth. He works as a behavior interventionist at an elementary school, and hopes this episode will help more transgender people to feel more comfortable and proud of themselves and their identities.

The Secret Lives of Americans comes at a pivotal time in the transgender civil rights movement, with cultural figures like Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner speaking to unprecedentedly large audiences about the importance of acceptance and equality for all gender identities. Jenner's new E! docu-series, I Am Cait, airs on July 26.

The Secrets Lives of Americans episode airs July 24, 10:30 p.m. ET on Pivot. Watch the teaser clip of this week's Secret Lives below: