November 3 Transgender Parent Day #TransgenderParentDay is a Holiday celebrated between transgender children and their parents and transgender parents and their children. As a older in life adult I knew had heard of transgender until this year.
Honestly, I never thought my family would have know a transgender child personally but Charlie and I do. in fact Charlies best friend Bradley is dating a girl named Ghost who wants to be referred to as a boy. Ive asked Charlie if that make Bradley gay and he said no, he is Bi.
I just looked at Charlie shook my head and asked David what he thought of this and like me he is confused but that doesn’t keep us from loving Bradley and inviting Ghost to be a part of our lives and before you ask when Ghost is with us she is a women.
If you or someone you know has been dealing with coming out it can be scary at any age. Which Ghost has told me a little of her story and I can tell you she was treated horribly when she came out. Fast forward to Charlie and because he likes to dress different I’ve had people ask if he is Gay.
Infact at times I’ve wondered if he is and if so it doesn’t matter because he is my son and I love him more than life itself. Charlie says he isn’t and he has a girlfriend so I do believe him but if he was it would be okay because he would be like his Uncle Chuck and my Cousins Jeffery and John Michael. Now, I have a question for you. Do you know a transgender? What would you do if your children were transgender and why?
Did you know transgender teens often choose not to come out to their parents until they reach adulthood because they are afraid to be disowned. Transgender parents often stay in the closet because they are not sure how their decision to come out may affect their children. In many cases, this fear is justified, but it would be wrong to say that there are no families who are accepting and supportive of their trans members.
TransParent Day celebrates trans parents who are loved and respected by their children, as well as trans children who’ve found unconditional love and support from their parents. Your closest family is supposed to be your support system, and it’s always warming to see families where trans members receive all the love and support they need and deserve.
TransParent Day was inaugurated in 2009 to highlight the challenges that trans parents and parents of trans children face on a daily basis. Transgender parenting is an under-explored area; even Queer studies often lack specific focus on the T in LGBT, ignoring the fact that trans experiences are distinct from that of lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
Especially when a parent (or a child) is in the process of transitioning. Although many families with trans parents or children are perfectly happy and not much different from other families, they do face specific issues and challenges.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
