Former Olympian and reality TV star, Bruce Jenner, formally came out on Monday as Caitlyn Jenner, appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair as a woman.


Now, two people in the Erie area are also sharing their stories - they are actually brother and sister, who both happen to be transgender.  


"I came out like a storm. I changed my name on Facebook and said, 'this is me and if you don't like it, oh well,'" said Corey Hepler, 25, a Girard resident. 

He publicly came out as transgender last month and has started asking people to call him by his preferred name, Janelle. For now, he's still going by the male pronoun. 


"For the longest time I hid it, because for the longest time society didn't accept it," Corey said. 

"Corey told me three years ago, but he told me not to tell anybody until he went public," said Brenda Glancy, Corey's aunt. "I told him he should've come out then, but he would not come out. He held it in for three years," she said. 

One huge motivator for Corey to stop hiding is his younger sister, who is also transgender. She came out first, about five years ago.

Stephanie Hepler, a 23-year-old Guys Mills resident, now goes by Stephan and prefers male pronoun.  

"It's not any different than if two siblings said they were gay. To me, it's just one of those weird  anomalies that happen every so often," Stephan said in a phone interview. "With moral support yes, we're there for each other," he said. 

"She's what ultimately helped me come out. Because of her courage, and her will to do what she believed was right and be the true her," Corey said.

Another story that helped Corey make the decision is Bruce Jenner's transformation.  

"That was one of the biggest parts for me coming out. He's a former Olympian, he's been on a reality show. Why can't I?" Corey said. 

Now, both siblings are choosing to share their stories to play a part in the fight for equality.

"It makes me feel really good. Gay, straight, bi, or transgender, I just want to show people that they can be themselves," Stephan said. 

"That way there's actually some hometown, small town people standing up and trying to raise awareness. Not just celebrities," Corey said. "You might not ever find another brother and sister like us, but then again, they might be out there and just too scared," he said.

Because of financial limitations, neither sibling has started the physical transformation yet but both hope to soon.  


As far as other future goals, Corey also plans to run for the mayor of Girard.