I came out to my mom as trans years ago. One of her biggest fears about me coming out was my grandmother. My grandmother is in her 80s, and is very conservative. Whenever the topic of gay people would come up, my grandmother would get a very defensive look, and sometimes she would quote Fox News. Out of all of my family members, my grandmother was the one we were the most worried about. My mom was so afraid of my grandmother's reaction that she used to ask me to wait to come out until my grandmother was gone.
Last year during the holidays, I came out to people one at a time. When it came time to tell my grandmother, my mom was ready for a knock down, drag out fight. She was standing there, practically between my grandmother and me, with a stance like she was gonna have a fist fight with my grandma. I told my grandma that I had identified as female for many years, and that I was going to start living as a woman. I had only been on hormones for a week at this point, and still looked very masculine. My grandmother's eyes got a little teary, and she looked at me with one of the most loving looks she has ever given me. She said: "Life must be very hard for you, having been born in a body that's not right for you. I've always suspected that you were different. There was always something so sweet about you, not like other boys. If you're a woman, then I will accept you and love you that way." The way she said that was effortless and genuine. I looked at my mom, and I could see that she was barely holding back her tears. I could see amazement and gratitude written all over her face. She looked like she couldn't decide which of us she wanted to hug more.
Since that day, my grandmother has been nothing but positive about my transition. She compliments me on my dresses, tells me my makeup looks good, and says that she thinks I look pretty. She has barely struggled with pronouns at all from day one. She never tries to talk me out of transitioning, and I only ever see love on her face when she sees me come into the room. It's very clear that she sees me as her granddaughter now. She doesn't seem to have any problem doing that. No matter how conservative she is, her love for me is stronger than anything anyone else says, or any political opinion she holds.
