The May milestone, which she has been celebrating with her twin brother Harry, felt weird but also special considering how much she has gone through as a transgender activist and the youngest person in Australia to commence puberty blocking treatment at age 10. “I’m very excited but I’m also a little bit surprised,’’ Stone says. “It’s a bit surreal I’ve got to 21 because I still feel like I’m 12.“All I’ve really wanted to do is make people feel less alone and isolated. It was very difficult for me as a kid when I couldn’t see other people like me. “I don’t know about being a leader but I do feel like I have experienced a lot of privilege in my life and right now I want to use that to do good. I want to be active and helpful so if that is coming across and making a difference then I feel very proud of that.”Stone has risen to prominence via her acting role on TV soap Neighbours, but also because her unique story was made into a book by her mother, actor and human rights advocate Rebekah Robertson.In the book called About A Girl – A Mother’s Powerful Story of Raising her Transgender Child, Robertson touches on the grief and challenges of parents experiencing unfamiliar change in their lives and above all it is a mother’s story of belief in her children.Stone has collected a swag of accolades over the past four years. She has been recognised nationally and globally for her activism, awarded the GLOBE GLBTI Person of the Year, the Young People’s Human Rights Medal, the Young Voltaire Award, the Victorian Young Australian of the Year and the Australian LGBTI Hero of the Year. Last year she was also awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). On Neighbours she also contributes as a writer assisting with episodes in regards to her on screen character, Mackenzie. As the first transactor in a transrole she was also nominated for Best Daytime Soap Star at the 2020 Inside Soap Awards. And despite gaining acceptance, notoriety and understanding, Stone says there is still much work to be done.“I think I’m through a lot of the hardships, but it’s a difficult one,’’ she says. “I have gone through a lot of really difficult times and difficult experiences and in a lot of those cases society has progressed and my life would have been a bit different if I was born five or 10 years later. “We have come a long way but at the same time we’re definitely not there yet because we’ve got more to be done.”Stone adds that more information and understanding was key.“Those things that I experienced as a kid and that are in (mum’s) book — that’s still happening today and for kids all over the world,’’ Stone says.“I think it’s important to remember even though we have come a long way and there’s a lot more representation, a lot more acceptance and a lot more information out there and so people are more equipped in terms of being able to support transpeople, it’s still there, that stigma, that transphobia. “It bubbles under the surface and it’s ingrained in our society and it can come across in ways that are very subtle. A lot of people can’t see what transpeople can see on a day-to-day basis but transpeople see those not so subtle moments. “It still happens, we still need to work on it and work is still being done but we have absolutely come a long way. And in terms of my own life and whether I’ll experience stuff like that again, I really don’t know.”One of the next experiences for Stone in the next phase of her life will be a relationship.On screen she has a boyfriend, played by Ben Turland, but she’s never had a partner in real life.Last year the storyline involved gender confirmation surgery scenes which she was closely part of scripting. She joined the soap in 2019 after writing to the producers and proposing the storyline.She started with no experience in what was to be a six week guest role, and now she’s hopeful of being part of the drama for many years to come.“I might experience new issues I might not have come across before,’’ she says.“I haven’t been in any relationships so that is a new hurdle I suppose I’ll have to jump and learn from. “It’s been so much fun on Neighbours. “I’ve been there for close to two years now and I’ve settled in and enjoy working with everyone. It’s such a great vibe there and I’ve learned so much. I’m a lot more confident than when I first started and it’s consolidated that I love acting and it’s what I want to keep doing. It’s been such a great experience.”Stone remembers those tense initial days of filming and how older cast members helped calm her nerves.“I’d never acted before, I had done school productions and stuff like that and knew I’d always loved it but I’d never actually done any professional acting before or anything in front of the camera before. I was really nervous because I didn’t want to look like an idiot.“The first two weeks I was quite shaky and stiff and I’d get stomach aches in the morning because I was just so nervous. Everyone was so welcoming at the beginning and put me at ease. A lot of the older cast members like Alan (Fletcher) and Jackie (Woodburne) and Ryan (Moloney) they gave me a lot of great advice. I love that I had chats with them right at the beginning because they set me on the right path and gave me a lot of confidence. Also because my parents had been on Neighbours it was like I wanted to do them proud. I wanted to do the best that I could.”She may no longer be a teenager but Stone says the advice from her parents before joining Ramsay Street really struck a chord. Her mum Rebekah had a small role and her dad Greg Stone played Sonya Rebecchi’s father.“I remember my dad said when you’re really nervous your eyes look really wide and you look really crazy so you just need to make sure you watch your eyes so you don’t look like a maniac,’’ she says.“Mum said don’t worry about how you look, focus on telling the story, focus on the moment and what the job is. With the cast members what was really great is because it’s such a fast paced work environment, we go through things really quickly and it can be hard to prepare a lot of the time. I remember Jackie giving me advice about what to focus on and how to conduct myself while I was there which really stood me in good stead.“Even just watching them work is a masterclass in itself I think.“I know how fast time will fly and I’m really just trying to make the most of it. Learn as much as I can and have fun because it really is a great job.“I always like chatting with people and getting feedback. Always on Instagram I’m hearing from lots of transpeople asking for advice and saying they love seeing me on Neighbours. It’s great to see and makes me happy and proud because I know what we’re doing at Neighbours is doing some good so it makes me very happy.”Stone admits there are challenges ahead but she’s really just a normal young woman who loves writing, reading and watching movies and TV.“There’s nothing I’d rather do on a Friday night than snuggle up and watch a movie,’’ she says. “It’s what I’m passionate about, it’s what I love. I also love being with my family. Those quiet moments are really important to me. I love writing songs too. “As I say it I sound like a really boring person but a less extraordinary existence works for me.”
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