My trans child needs to be himself – I understand that now | Molly Mulready

When my son told me he was a boy, I worried he wasn’t sure. Then a community opened my eyes to the support he deserves

Media discussions about transgender people have taken on a personal significance for me. My son was my daughter until last year, when, after years of hints here and there, and months of him being uncharacteristically tearful and reclusive, he told us he was a boy.

My instinct was caution, determined to shield him from wounding words and quizzical looks and the need to navigate out of this if he was wrong. I said, “Let’s not tell anyone at school just yet. You’re only 12. I promise I believe that you believe you’re a boy right now, but what if you tell your friends and then realise you’ve made a mistake?”

Related: I’m trans, and I don’t care if we were ‘born this way’. Neither should you | Shon Faye

Related: The 1975 back new centre for London’s LGBTQ+ community

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2sYo3Uz