Originally published on November 8, 2016.
It's Election Day. My 9 year old daughter's already announced that depending on results, she may never come out of her room again. She has a plan. She'll stay in her room, she'll withdraw from school, and she'll never come out even after our family moves from this house.
This isn't typical tween dramatics. And this isn't because she listened to too much election nonsense, we've actually kept most of it out of our home to protect her. But she knows.
She knows deep in her gut that as a transgender girl, as a member of the LGBT community, her rights and safety and the rights and safety of so many like her are at stake.
She knows it the same way she knows that some day one of her friends will find out she's transgender and will no longer want to be her friend because of it.
She knows it the way she knows that if it's not her friends, it could be their parents, our neighbors, church members, teachers, or strangers on the street. She knows that just because she is who she is there are people who believe she is a danger to their families and communities.
She knows it the way she knows that her just going to the bathroom in a girl's bathroom, like all her friends, is nothing short of a revolutionary act. And that there are people trying to take that right from her.
None of that changes who she is. In the face of all these things and more, she knows this who she is and she refuses to betray herself to make others feel more comfortable or to make less waves. Her bravery and authenticity leave me speechless.
So today, I will vote. I will vote against hate. I will vote for my daughter. And regardless of the results of this election, I will continue to do everything in my power to keep her safe and give her hope. I will remind her that brave and kind is all we can be, and there are millions of people out there who have her back.
#LoveTrumpsHate #transkidsmatter
(Posted with my daughter's permission. I don't ever post about her without permission.)
It's Election Day. My 9 year old daughter's already announced that depending on results, she may never come out of her room again. She has a plan. She'll stay in her room, she'll withdraw from school, and she'll never come out even after our family moves from this house.
This isn't typical tween dramatics. And this isn't because she listened to too much election nonsense, we've actually kept most of it out of our home to protect her. But she knows.
She knows deep in her gut that as a transgender girl, as a member of the LGBT community, her rights and safety and the rights and safety of so many like her are at stake.
She knows it the same way she knows that some day one of her friends will find out she's transgender and will no longer want to be her friend because of it.
She knows it the way she knows that if it's not her friends, it could be their parents, our neighbors, church members, teachers, or strangers on the street. She knows that just because she is who she is there are people who believe she is a danger to their families and communities.
She knows it the way she knows that her just going to the bathroom in a girl's bathroom, like all her friends, is nothing short of a revolutionary act. And that there are people trying to take that right from her.
None of that changes who she is. In the face of all these things and more, she knows this who she is and she refuses to betray herself to make others feel more comfortable or to make less waves. Her bravery and authenticity leave me speechless.
So today, I will vote. I will vote against hate. I will vote for my daughter. And regardless of the results of this election, I will continue to do everything in my power to keep her safe and give her hope. I will remind her that brave and kind is all we can be, and there are millions of people out there who have her back.
#LoveTrumpsHate #transkidsmatter
(Posted with my daughter's permission. I don't ever post about her without permission.)
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