02. Believing in Your Child: Embracing the Journey of Trans Identity

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2y ago 49:04

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You never know how people are gonna react to your child's coming out and socially transitioning.

I wish there was a clear indicator that I could give you that says, these are the ones who will support you, and these are the ones who are going to get spooked and do really ugly things. If that thing exists, I haven't discovered it yet.

I've seen families who are progressive and open-minded about others get completely closed off to the idea that something like this could be happening with their child. I've also seen people who go to church every Sunday read the Bible, own a lot of guns, who absolutely get it and show up for their kids in some very beautiful ways.

Everyone responds differently.

Today's episode is a parent story.

We'll hear from Mama Bear Kate about how she and her family went about supporting her trans child, Rachel, without a map, navigating the seas of judgment as they began to socially transition.

Kate is white, middle class and married to a cisgender man. She has two children and lives in the Pacific Northwest. Kate's also a writer, and she recently shared this story in the Huffington Post.

In this episode, Kate opens up about her experience as a parent of a transgender child. She talks about the challenges she faced in accepting her child's gender and the journey toward embracing it fully. She also shares how she educated herself on trans issues and how she navigated religious and cultural barriers, and how she showed up to support her child through the ups and downs.

Check out the full episode to hear about:

How a school form started the process of Rachel’s coming out as nonbinary
How Kate and the family navigated questions about Rachel’s identity being a phase, and a rough year in first grade as he began his social transition
How Kate and her husband intentionally worked to create a culture of openness to tough questions in their household
How Kate’s process of educating herself about trans issues quieted the voice in her head yelling that Rachel’s desire to transition was an emergency

Find out more about Mackenzie Dunham:

Resources:

Our 6-Year-Old Wanted To Use 'They/Them' Pronouns. We Had No Idea What We Were In For.

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