Good Parenting
Parents Speak: Having a Trans Child Is Great Because…
Raising a gender non-conforming or transgender child can come with a lot of struggles and heartache. Parents can lose unaccepting friends and family. Kids can lose their playmates. Churches can reject lifelong members. Parenting skills can be questioned and sometimes Child Protective Services can get called on for an investigation. Marriages can crumble under the strain. Panic attacks and nightmares about a child’s safety can emerge. Grief over losing the child and a future that has already been idealized can lead to depression. Sounds really heavy, right? Sounds like there couldn’t be anything really good that comes from a child expressing the need to...
Read MoreJohn Jolie-Pitt: How long is a phase?
In the last couple of weeks, the story of Shiloh/John Jolie-Pitt has made the rounds of the internet. Thanks to having such famous parents and appearing in photos wearing boys’ clothing in the last few years, there has been ongoing speculation about John for a very long time. Most of the coverage, though, has taken quotes from an article from the UK and a rather dubious “expert.” (I’m not going to link to those stories because I don’t want to lend credence to the stated opinions.) In these articles, Brad and Angelina are quoted as saying John has been using this name at home since the age of three. John is now eight. Five years. Five long...
Read MorePride and Joy Campaign
Are you ready to share why your child is your Pride & Joy? We want parents to realize that every child — yes, even LGBT kids — should be their pride and joy. And we’d like to help those kids whose parents don’t show them love by raising money for the Trevor Project, the largest suicide-prevention organization in the country focused on helping LGBT youth. Visit the Pride & Joy Campaign website, download a sign to tell why your kid is your pride and joy, and then share it with everyone on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the hashtag #prideandjoy (and don’t forget to donate!)
Read MoreTransitioning as a Mormon
Religion and acceptance (or lack thereof) from churches is a big area of controversy for transgender people. The lack of acceptance from church groups and large denominations can lead some to turn away from religion altogether. But others hold onto their faith, and even hope that they or their children will be accepted someday. One such family is featured in a short documentary which has just won the 2014 Utah Short Film of the Year Award. Utah? Yes, Utah. The home of the LDS Church. Eri Hayward and her family are Mormon. Her story is “Transmormon”. The “good parenting” part of this story is in a quote from Eri’s dad near the end of the...
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