JULY 19, 2012 12:08PM
My Transgender Stepson Is Not a "Clown"
Gayle Saks-Rodriguez
http://open.salon.com/blog/gayleygayle/2012/07/19/my_transgender_stepson_is_not_a_clownI'm still reeling from a post that appeared here a few days ago, so appalling that I didn't think it worth commenting on. Now that I've reread it several times I know that my words will not change such a bigoted mind, but this is MY truth, my stepson's truth, my husband's truth.
My stepson was born a girl. From as early as he can remember he KNEW that something wasn't right, that he would have tantrums when his mother struggled to put him in a dress. By the time he was 12 or so and maturing, he said things like "I want to get breast cancer so I can have my breasts removed." The happiest day of his life was when his top surgery was completed and when he started taking testosterone. Decisions like this are not a whim.
The writer of the post who focuses on the reverse process--boy to girl-blames the father of this boy, saying that he had failed in making his son more "manly." This is akin to blaming my stepson's mother for not teaching him how to put on makeup or forcing him to attend ballet school. As millions of trans people will tell you, this is not a choice but the only thing that makes any sense.
