What if letting your child be who they are was so controversial that it regularly sparked outrage on social media" What if there were articles, videos and documentaries about kids just like yours that argued against their access to public washrooms, sports or proper medical care" What if these were forwarded to you by concerned loved ones, or used as the reason they refuse to support your child"
Welcome to my life?and the lives of many parents of transgender kids.
It seems we can?t go more than a few days without a new attack on trans children. I don?t use the word ?attack? lightly, either. The barrage of media articles and online comments opposing the rights and identities of trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming young people may not be physical violence, but it?s no less harmful?and it needs to stop. For years, I?ve watched society waffle between support for trans kids and condemnation of them. Trans adults are affected as well, of course, but children are especially vulnerable to anti-trans sentiment and legislation changes. Without affirming parents, it?s nearly impossible for them to live authentically or happily. Without protective laws, they face increased discrimination in society.
It’s time for that waffling to end. It?s time to leave trans kids and their families alone.
I?m a parent to one of those kids. They?re 19 years old now, but they came out to our family in 2014, at the age of 11. In that time, I?ve watched them evolve from a depr...