In the new documentary Att bli Lee on TV4, viewers can follow Lee Christiernsson’s transition from Björn to Lee. Lee became known to the Swedish people as the carpenter Björn in the program Äntligen hemma, and the documentary portrays in a personal and moving way Lee’s journey towards becoming himself. Now he talks in Nyhetsmorgonen about how the documentary has been received.
IN News morning tells Lee Christiernsson about how she was in a deep depression before she understood what was actually behind the bad mood. “It’s like your brain is kidnapped, you can’t think. You can have your life experience, you can think you are smart or whatever. But nothing suddenly applies, but you are in some kind of vacuum,” says Lee in the interview.
“Looking for a way to live my life”
Lee also talks about how important it was to find the right way to live life. “I was completely done. And I didn’t seek help then and there either. I didn’t really know what to seek help for, I felt I needed to figure out what the problem was before I could seek help.” Even though he felt very bad for a period, there was still hope to find the right way forward. “I was never looking for a way to take my life, but I was looking for a way to live my life,” she says. Lee also read a lot about gender dysphoria and learned a lot, but it took time to reach acceptance, he tells Nyhetsmorgon. Once Lee landed on who she was, the anxiety completely let go. “Then there was more fear and anxiety, but still a forward movement,” says Lee.
Reactions to the documentary
Once Lee had settled on his decision, the next step was to tell those around him. She did it step by step, and had difficulty preparing herself for how the message would be received. “People have been so incredibly happy and generous with love and respect, and I wasn’t prepared for that. It almost came as a shock.”
Lee says that after the documentary he received a lot of congratulations and hugs, but also viewers who thank them for being able to share Lee’s story. “It was quite obvious, once I came to the conclusion that I had to come out, and in public. I couldn’t do it any other way,” he says in the interview. “I have to do it as honestly as possible, to show the complexity and how difficult it can be.” Lee also says that he believes that much of the reaction is about the story itself, “people recognize themselves or have relatives who have gone through something tough,” he says.
