Marsha Aizumi
Author, speaker and member of the PFLAG National Board of Directors
A Journey of Gifts
Posted: 12/21/2012 11:42 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marsha-aizumi/a-journey-of-gifts_b_2340573.htmlFour years ago this month, my daughter fearfully looked across a table at me and said the words that would forever change my life: "I want to transition to be a boy." When I initially heard her request, I remember thinking how the first 20 years of my daughter's life began to make sense: the toddler who pouted at wearing dresses and bows, the elementary school tomboy who only wore pants and T-shirts, the middle school student who didn't seem to fit in anywhere, and the high school cutter who refused to return to school and was diagnosed with agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder in which an individual does not feel safe in the world.
But then fear set in. How would I keep my child safe in this world that targets those who are different? How would my child find a place to belong and a career that would accept her -- or now him? And how would my child find love in a society that attacks those who don't fit into a mold and tries to squeeze them into a box that only brings them feelings of unworthiness and rejection?
[...]
But I decided to follow my heart. And my heart said that no matter what the journey looked like, this was my child, and I needed to stand by my child's side. I held on to this thought and kept it tucked tightly in my mind. It became a beacon for me to follow when the darkness grew too suffocating.
