For some of us -- the ones with picked-over Facebook feeds and liberal-minded friends -- it might seem that transgender people have finally reached peak acceptance in popular culture. However, a single look at a comments section or Twitter hashtag having anything to do with Caitlyn Jenner will quickly reveal that this is sadly very inaccurate.

Add Internet intolerance to the recent murder of India Clarke -- the tenth trans woman slain this year -- and you can hopefully understand why MTV News was blown away when we heard about Cayes, a trans man who is revealing one of his most vulnerable moments to the public Friday night (July 24) on Pivot's "Secret Lives of Americans": the moment he came out to his colleagues.

Cayes' story is unique for many reasons -- one of them, of course, being that transgender men are largely absent from our discussions about trans issues in media -- but the thing that touched us the most was his role as a dedicated behavior interventionist at an elementary school, as well as a caretaker of a young boy being raised by a single mom. Coming out as trans while also working with children cannot be easy (due to their parents, not so much the kids themselves), so MTV News hopped on the phone with Cayes ahead of the show's premiere to discuss the aftermath of his outing, Jenner's influence on how it all went down, and so much more:

MTV: Can you walk me through how you decided to film your own coming out for "Secret Lives?"

Cayes: Well, honestly, I struggled with it. I didn’t want to do it for a while just cause, what am I doing, what am I thinking? This could really be bad. Or good. It could be anything.

I actually told... the casting person, I had emailed her saying "I can’t do this, I love where I live, I love my job, I don’t want to lose it." But really, what happened to me was the story about Leelah Alcorn, that young girl that threw herself in front of a semi-truck... Every time I read it or think about it, I just start crying. I work with kids; I was a kid. I know how it feels, and that’s such a brutal way to take your life. The grief and anguish I’m sure her parents feel; the guilt is so intense.

Out of her suicide note, she said... "I want my death to mean something." I just feel at this point, how could I read that and not do something? I honestly think if I hadn’t read that note, I would have just continued a path and led my life safely and just stayed with people I felt comfortable with; just lived with this fear if someone else finds out and I haven’t told them myself. And even after this, I still feel a little bit like that. But you know, Leelah is definitely my guardian angel in this, and no matter what happens at this point I really don’t care. It’s really just all about making sure kids are safe.

MTV: This is obviously a very serious topic, but I did get a bit of a laugh when you gave your coworkers a pizza party before you filmed your coming out. Did you do that because, you know, how can you be intolerant to someone who just gave you free pizza?

Cayes: Who doesn’t like pizza? I had to figure out how I could get them all in the room without them asking me too many questions... because the idea was for no one to know, so that made it very difficult. I’m a very honest person and I wear my emotions on my face completely; I can’t play poker. But I don’t know, teachers like free food. They’ll go anywhere for free food.

Funny story about the pizza, when it actually showed up... it was just smushed. If there was a bloopers reel, that would be on it. So that was kind of nerve wracking because I was like "well, now they’re going to think this pizza is gross..."

MTV: How have things been at school since you filmed it?

Cayes: One [colleague] did not want to be mentioned or even be a part of the show, so we clearly are not talking. My other coworkers... when you go home for the summer it’s kind of like going away for school, you don’t really [talk]. I’ve been away for a month, I’ve chatted via text with Christian, he’s one of the guys that was on the show and he’s awesome. If anyone is being supportive he’s the one, because we actually hang out outside of work. He has a son that people question if he’s gay all the time, and after the show we had a really great conversation... he told me, "I have your back no matter what," and that’s pretty cool.

Everyone kind of kept it quiet, just because I had a couple I worked with who were like, "I support you, but to be honest you’re chaperoning my children... a lot of parents might have a problem." So no one at school really knows about the show coming out, but they’re going to find out on Friday... They just think it’s a documentary about my life. [MTV News had permission from Cayes to run this story before the show's premiere.]

MTV: Wow, so how are you feeling about the families finding out? You told the mother of the one kid you watch, Elliot, on the show, and she took it well...

Cayes: Danielle, when I told her she was super cool about it, [but] when we actually went off camera she was like, "I don’t think we should tell Elliott..." She told me yesterday that she is going to talk to him this weekend. First she spoke to his therapist and she agrees, and then after that if he wants to talk to me I’ll open the door and make it happen... but I honestly think he’s going to be alright. I mean, kids are really forgiving.

My niece, the 5-year-old, she goes "Mimi, are you a boy or a girl?" I go, "well, you know, when I was little I was a girl." She goes, "it’s okay, it’s okay," then she slaps my butt and just runs off... she’s going to be the most open kid possible to having an uncle or aunt like me. She always corrects people; she goes between the pronouns all the time.

MTV: Yeah, kids definitely seem to get things more than their parents think they will. I'm also curious... trans men have not been super visible in the past; outside of Chaz Bono people don't seem to think you exist. Is that part of the reason why you did this publicly?

Cayes: Basically. Yes.

I’ve been doing this for about six years, and even before I started transitioning I changed my hairstyle like I changed my socks. Even when I had really short hair back in 2001, when I just graduated high school, I would get confused for a guy all the time, but I never called myself a lesbian. People that know me well know that I’ve never identified as anything, people say "what are you?" and I say, "awesome." And I still feel that way, like why do I have to choose? Trans people have no way to explain that they like the other sex other than they just know it... why do we have to have a reason?

For me, I pass [as male] so well, that [people] think I’m a gay guy... as a girl [people told me] "you’re more masculine," now that I’m a guy, it’s like "oh, well, that’s pretty girly." I don’t think anything changed, I’m the same person I just look different, because I was seen different by people.

And you know, me standing in a room and letting men be misogynist because I’ll fit in... I can’t do that. I almost always out myself in those situations, I’ll say, "listen sir, I was a woman for 24 years, and what you just said is not cool." This happened several times, and the reaction is sometimes negative, and the others are just baffled and don’t know what’s happening...

MTV: Finally, you mentioned Caitlyn Jenner on the show, and obviously she's having a huge moment right now. Did she help influence you to become involved in the trans community?

Cayes: I really don’t watch TV... but [Caitlin] came up during my episode because my mom and dad, we’ve had a very complicated and amazing relationship my whole life, and it was really hard for them when I came out as trans; just my sexuality in general.

My mom sent me a text message after watching the Caitlyn Jenner interview, and I cried like a baby, but it was a good cry. My mom basically said "I’m sorry, we were so, so uninformed." Our relationship literally changed overnight. I was over the moon; I’ve read it to my friends. You know, it’s crazy that it’s just one person [who got] my mom to turn around.

As far as volunteering... I just want to figure out how I can help kids. Kids, they don’t have any money, they need family, need support more than anyone, because if they want to do this they literally are trapped. I mean, Leelah jumped in front of a semi-truck. If that’s not a bump on society’s head like "hey, we need to do something, it’s not that big of a deal," I don’t know what else is...

"Secret Lives of Americans" airs Fridays at 10:30pm on Pivot.