Salem 10-year-old: "I thought I would be more comfortable as a boy than a girl."

http://www.kptv.com/story/25347429/salem-10-year-old-i-thought-i-would-be-more-comfortable-as-a-boy-than-a-girl
4/25/2014
By Kimberly Eiten

He knows he wants to play soccer. He knows he wants to grow up to be a veterinarian. And, he knows he's meant to be a boy.

"I didn't want to be a girl, because it wasn't who I think I was supposed to be when I was born," Ben Oelhafen said.

Ben was born as Angela. At 2, he was diagnosed with autism. At 6, he said he first knew he was in the wrong body.

"I thought I would be more comfortable as a boy than a girl," he said.

That's how he's been living the last few weeks, with the outside finally matching the inside.

"I will love my son for who he is. But this is a road I never wanted him to have to travel," Ben's mom Jenifer Sutton said.

How awesome that he has such supportive parents.
And, it shouldn't be impressive, but sadly it stands out. The newscasters actually used correct pronouns throughout and didn't say things like "born as a girl". Unnecessary mention of his birthname, but still, encouraging to see progress like this in reporting.