Happy Birthday!

Well it's a belated post, but my dear son is no longer a teen. He turned 20 recently and Wow! What a difference from that confused 7th grader that I feared for. So to him I say Happy Birthday, I'm so glad to have you in my life.

This post isn't as much to you moms and dads, although I'm hopeful that you'll appreciate this at some point, but to you young folks out there who are in the process of transition.

My son doesn't "identify" as trans, he's just a boy, as he's always known he was. And I may be unusual in that my acceptance of that fact was just about immediate.  I firmly believe that parents have an intuitive knowledge about their children, and I think that parents know about these things probably way before you do, but it's often the case that they can't, or won't, believe it.

So I say to you, this is not your fault, and this is not your responsibility.

Your parents have a choice, whereas you do not.  They can accept you, they can question you or they can abandon you. My hope is that all human beings will do the very best they can for their children, but sometimes, they fail. They are human, after all.

So I want you to know that there are people out there who DO accept you, who love you exactly the way you are, and who are ready and willing to offer help if you need it. Please reach out before it's too late,
I want to take a moment to mention a lovely young girl, Taylor Alesana, whose YouTube channel I had found a while back and was inspired by her courage and spirit. Sadly, she did not have the support she needed, and ended her life this month. A little spark has gone from this world, and she will be greatly missed.

I recently found a wonderful man, Reverend Robert Teszlewicz, who is a great advocate for transgender youth. He shares his love for all humanity, no matter what the condition and he offers great hope to us all And you can find his videos that address specifically trans youth and their parents here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwGe35ZfUcU

Thank you Reverend, for all that you do to support our LGBT youth.

We are all concerned about the high suicide rate for young trans people, and there are some foster care agencies who deal specifically with LGBTQIA youth. So if you are in a very bad situation, please reach out to your local resource agency, for a referral to a safe home.

I have also opened up this blog to moderated comments, so if you need help, please feel free to reach out and I will do my best to find resources in your area.

Hang tough, you are perfect, just the way you are.


Lee