In Honor of Transgender Remembrance Day
The following post was written for the Children’s Hospital blog by the father of a transgender child with whom GLAD has had the honor of working for some time.
Today is Transgender Remembrance Day. A few years ago, if you asked me what this day represents, I would have said I didn’t even know what transgender means, never mind that there’s a whole day dedicated to the memory of transgender people who’ve been victimized by hate crimes. I may have been unaware of these issues back then, but I’m a different person now. Since opening up about my daughter Sylvia’s experiences as a transgender tween, my eyes have been opened to many issues concerning the transgender community; some good, some not.
The other night I had one of those “not so good” moments. As I was tucking Sylvia in for bed, she took my hand and told me she had something to tell me. “Daddy, I’m working on a project for Transgender Remembrance Day,” she said. “Did you know people are being murdered and raped because they’re transgender?”
I didn’t know what to say. How can I look at my sweet child and tell her there are people in this world who might want to hurt her, simply because of the gender she identifies with? Any time I find myself at a loss for words when talking to my kids, I think about how my wife Cecelia would react. As the foundation of our family, she always seems to know exactly what to do and say. Channeling my inner Cecelia, I hugged my daughter and told her she has parents who will love, support and protect her, no matter what.
Read the full post at Thrive: Children’s Hospital Boston’s Pediatric Health Blog