Personal Thoughts
PSA for Parents Navigating their First Holidays with a Transgender Child
A lot of folks start decorating for the holidays around Thanksgiving, so it’s a good time to take stock of what those decorations are now before any kids are involved…especially if this is your *first* year since your child has come out as transgender. Think about any personalized decorations you have that might be very gendered or have the birth name on it…stockings, handmade ornaments from preschool with the name painted on the back, an ornament-of-the-year of a football player before you knew Steven as Stephanie or of a girl in pigtails holding a teddybear before you new Stephanie as Stephen… Ask your child in a separate conversation *before*...
Read MoreEvery Victim in Orlando Was Someone’s Child
We just experienced the largest mass shooting of children in US history. Every victim in #Orlando, every person who was dancing the night away in #Pulse, was someone’s child. I am hurt. I am angry. I am scared. I am hurt for the families and friends of each person — each human being — who was killed. I am hurt for their moms who will never have a chance to hug their child again and say “I love you.” I’m overwhelmingly hurt for those who may have died feeling as if their moms didn’t love them. The sad truth is that many of the people who lost their lives may have also lost their families long before Sunday morning. Too many LGBTQ...
Read MoreTaking Care of (Bathroom) Business
Right now we have an epidemic of Transgender Bathroom Panic sweeping the US. Conservative politicians are using a debate over where trans people pee as one of their main campaigning points this election season. From “religious freedom” laws that would allow discrimination against LGBT people based on deeply held (evangelical Christian) beliefs to laws taking direct aim at transgender people and/or students by defining bathroom policy based on sex assigned at birth or non-existent chromosome testing, governments across the nation are suddenly obsessed with genitals. Public corporations are trying to take a stand on their own. Most of those have been in favor...
Read MoreA Story: Transgender Day of Visibility
Today is Transgender Day of Visibility and I won’t be sharing about Avery. She has enough visibility. Instead, I want to tell you about someone who doesn’t. Last fall, the Kansas City Royals were in the World Series, so my friend Christina from ESPN came to town. We went out to eat at one of the many BBQ restaurants around here, and near the end of our meal, a young trans woman came in to talk with one of the employees. She looked to be in her early 20s. It was obvious she was trans. She had a bad and rather raggedy wig on and a 5 o’clock shadow showing under her perfectly applied makeup. She was wearing a red jacket and red heals. She looked fierce!...
Read MoreTrans Lives Matter: Ignorance Causes People to Die
With news of the 11th murder of a trans woman in 2015 in the US, I’m tired of people sitting by thinking that their ignorance is ok. #TransLivesMatter is more than a catchy hashtag. It’s a reality. The lives of these murdered women mattered, and we need to stop people from trying to invalidate trans lives.
Read MoreHow to Be an Ally to Your Trans Child
If you’ve struggled to accept your child as trans, but now want to show them that you are onboard, here are a few ways to be their ally.
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