My wife gave birth to our first child earlier this year, and I am over-the-moon in love with being a father to my baby boy. Along my parenthood journey, I’ve thought a lot about the life I want to help build for my son and the community I want him to grow up in.
At the same time, I’ve thought a lot about the things I experienced as a kid that I hope he never has to.
For example, I hope my son never has to feel a drop in his stomach as he approaches the cashier at a grocery store, anxious that he might be turned away simply because of who he is. I don’t want him to stress about his first apartment application being denied for the same reason. I hope he’s never told by a doctor that he can’t get treatment for his cold because the doctor doesn’t know how to treat “people like him.” These are just a few things I’ve worried about and experienced as a transgender man living in America.
I didn’t have the language growing up to know that I am transgender, but I knew I was different. I was bullied because of it, and some of those specific rejections will forever be seared into my childhood memories. But I was lucky. My family and friends were and have always been supportive. It’s difficult to navigate the current anti-transgender political climate in our country, but my strong support network helps me through it.
Not everyone is so lucky. In fact, most of us aren’t. Somehow, I ended up with enough support to dedicate my career to ensuring things are better for young people growing up today than they were for me. I’m more than two decades in, and while we’ve made meaningful progress for transgender people in the United States, we still have a long way to go.
Sunday marks the International Transgender........