Sharon Shattuck
Animator and filmmaker
'Supor Dad'
Posted: 06/15/2012 1:48 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-shattuck/supor-dad_b_1600488.htmlWhen I was a kid, maybe 5 or 6, I made my dad a crown. I stapled together a circle of manila paper, cut some spires along the top, drew a shaky heart, and wrote the words "SUPOR DAD" on the brim. It might've been a Father's Day gift, but it was just as likely a product of one of our standard arts-and-crafts sessions, sessions that Dad encouraged at every opportunity.
My dad was super (or, "supor," as it were): He cared for me and my sister every day while my mom was at work, keeping us happily occupied while he juggled his own landscaping business. He encouraged us to be assertive and fearless tree climbers and communicators. And he taught us to be open-minded and accepting of others, because Dad was also transgender.
Back then, I didn't understand what the term "transgender" meant, really; all I knew was that my dad grew his hair out and wore more feminine clothes than other dads. It embarrassed me, but I couldn't quite articulate why. Like most kids, I felt pressure to fit in with my peers and felt real envy for their "normal" families, their mothers and fathers in traditional gender roles. I also felt very alone, especially after my family relocated to a small Midwestern town where everyone seemed to know of my dad, regardless of whether they'd officially met.
