She was an ultraconservative Texas Christian. Then Kai was born and everything changed.
Fusion/by Kathryn Joyce 03/26/2017
http://fusion.net/story/393673/texas-bathroom-bill-sb6/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialshare&utm_content=theme_top_mobile
Long article that starts with a survey of Texas transphobe movement and its national effect. Then focuses on stories of real transgender Texas families highlighting a mom whose transgender daughter turned her head around. The article is actually pretty optimistic.
She was abandoned by most of her family, friends, and Church. I don't see reason for optimism. The only lesson is that her particular "group" can only be changed one at a time if one of their own children is trans. Empathy for anyone else is a foreign concept.
Conform and be dull. —James Frank Dobie, The Voice of the Coyote
That's true. A similar case is of a Republican US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, FL, who had a change of heart because of having a transgender son. It's a start and we need all the allies we can get. She could just have easily gone the route of Leelah's parents.
But the interesting part of the article was the story of Dripping Springs Texas where local cis parents, some of whom has previously expressed anti-trans sentiments, banded together to support a transgender girl in their district in a show of good old "Texas defiance" to meddling outsiders. In this case the statewide anti-trans group, Texas Values.
It is a good example of how personal experience and love of someone can transcend fear and bigotry. This is a story many gay people have seen occur with their parents.
But yeah i wish it took less than that to help people to be more humane and accepting.
Another side of this story is that with her acceptance came the actions required to provide for her daughters identity needs such as clothing.
these ultra Christian conservatives give me the creeps!